22 Lunar New Year Celebrations in Boston 2024
When:
Sunday, Jan 21, 2024 9:00a -
Saturday, Mar 02, 2024 9:00p
Sunday, Jan 21, 2024 9:00a -
Saturday, Mar 02, 2024 9:00p
Where:
Boston
Surrounding areas
Boston, MA
Admission:
$Varies
Categories:
Festivals & Fairs, Food, Good for Groups, History, Kid Friendly, Seasonal
新年快乐! CHÚC MỪNG NĂM MỚI! 새해복많이받으세요! Maligayang bagong taon! Happy Lunar New Year from us to you. The Lunar New Year marks a time to reconnect with ancestors, celebrate cultural traditions, and spend time with family in many Asian communities around the world.
2024 is the Year of the Wood Dragon which is predicted to be full of innovation and growth. And this festival is best spent with others. So, grab your family and friends, and learn about the unique histories and customs of the Asian communities across Boston with these events. There’s plenty of food, music, and luck to go around!
By Yelena Nicolle Salvador
Experiences are listed in chronological order.
1) Year of the Dragon Craft Drop-In
When: 1/21 at 4PM
Where: Union Square
Info: Transforming underused spaces, CultureHouse is an organization that fosters community in neighborhoods. Stop by for Lunar New Year crafts or help make a dragon that will be hung in the common area as you meet new friends!
2) Vietnamese Lunar New Year Celebration
When: 1/27 at 12PM
Where: Dorchester
Info: Start off the Lunar New Year with Boston Little Saigon and the BPL with a day full of food, crafts, music, and more! Here, you will learn about Vietnamese culture and traditions to welcome luck and happiness.
3) Hongbao Printing with Maria Fong
When: 1/27 at 3:30PM
Where: Copley
Info: Hongbao are red envelopes that are given to others as a sign of good fortune and luck for the new year. Try your hand at printmaking and decorating hongbao through this workshop that is also offered on Feb. 1 and Feb. 6 at the Chinatown branch of BPL!
4) Somerville Lunar New Year Fest
When: 1/28 at 2:30PM
Where: Somerville
Info: The Somerville Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Somerville Asian Family Network have collaborated to create this festival that includes food, crafts, and a traditional Chinese shadow puppetry show. There will also be a guest appearance by author Vincent Yee!
5) 2nd Annual Braintree Lunar New Year Festival
When: 2/2 at 12PM
Where: Braintree
Info: Join the Chinese American Association of Braintree to ring in the Lunar New Year with games, a wishing tree, and a marketplace filled with food, flowers, and hongbao.
6) Lunar New Year Flower Market
When: 2/2 - 2/9 at 9AM
Where: Chinatown
Info: Find everything you need to celebrate the Lunar New Year from gold embossed hongbao to food and other goodies. You’ll also find a variety of plants such as bamboo (a symbol of good luck), orchids (a symbol of abundance and fertility), and money plants (a symbol of wealth and prosperity).
7) Lunar New Year Dumpling Wrapping Party
When: 2/3 at 10:30AM
Where: Jamaica Plain
Info: Dumplings look like money pouches which is why they represent fortune and prosperity. In this workshop (it’s family friendly!), you’ll be able to mix, roll, fill, and fold dough to create and munch on dumplings with a local Chinese chef.
8) Malden Lunar New Year Celebration
When: 2/3 at 1PM
Where: Malden
Info: This lunar fest includes a photo booth, dough sculptures, a cappella performances, and more. You will also be able to see the official USPS Lunar New Year Stamp Unveiling Ceremony while immersing yourself in different Asian cultures from Chinese to Korean traditions.
9) 35th Annual Tết Day Festival
When: 2/4 at 10:30AM
Where: South Boston Waterfront
Info: With over 80 vendors, the Tết Nguyên Đán (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) festival, is the perfect way to learn about local Vietnamese businesses, Vietnamese culture, and more. Discover the story of the “children of the dragon” and “grandchildren of the fairy” – the themes of this year’s celebration.
When: 2/4 at 11:30AM
Where: Allston
Info: Welcome Seollal (Lunar New Year) with the Boston Korean Adoptees organization. Learn about Korean culture, and family and friends can come too!
11) Lunar New Year Tea Ceremony
When: 2/4 at 2PM
Where: Jamaica Plain
Info: Support a local, woman-owned small business that sources tea from China, Taiwan, and Korea, by joining this ceremony to welcome the Lunar New Year. You will learn about the history of tea and its traditions rooted in respecting elders as part of Asian cultures.
12) GBCCA Annual Lunar Celebration
When: 2/4 at 3PM
Where: Newton
Info: Immerse yourself in the world of traditional Chinese food and cultural performances with the GBCCA. This family event will also be full of art where you can build Lunar New Year decorations too.
13) Lunar New Year at the Peabody
When: 2/10 at 10AM
Where: Salem
Info: Stop by the Peabody to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the 20th anniversary of the Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese Home. Listen to Chinese folktales, make dragon paper puppets, and watch a shadow puppet show.
14) MIT LEAP Lab: Lunar New Year
When: 2/10 at 2PM
Where: Cambridge
Info: This celebration includes lessons in calligraphy, a Chinese art form that is said to bring peace and set a prosperous tone for the new year. There will also be face painting, live performances, and hot drinks.
15) Berklee Chinese New Year Concert
When: 2/13 at 8PM
Where: Back Bay
Info: The Berklee venue will be decorated with a dragon theme to welcome the Year of the Dragon. There will be live student performances, guest singers, and more, so you can hear the diverse range from traditional Chinese music to modern pop tunes.
16) MFA Lunar New Year Celebration
When: 2/15 at 5PM
Where: Fenway
Info: Explore the diverse Asian art exhibits in the MFA with a special $5 minimum admission. There will be a Chinese brush painting workshop, a Korean sebae demonstration of greeting elders, and a Vietnamese dance performance.
17) Lunar New Year with AAJA New England
When: 2/17 at 11:30AM
Where: Chinatown
Info: Join the New England chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association to welcome the Lunar New Year where you can meet fellow writers and creatives.
18) QARI’S Lunar New Year Festival
When: 2/18 at 11AM
Where: North Quincy
Info: Join the Quincy Asian Resources, Inc.’s festival with a lion dance, art workshops, food, and a magic show. You’ll be supporting a local organization that supports immigrants and their families.
19) Lunar New Year Cultural Village & Lion Dance Parade
When: 2/18 at 10AM
Where: Chinatown
Info: Enjoy the Lion Dance Parade throughout Chinatown, and experience art and calligraphy lessons, where you can learn to write fu, the Chinese fortune symbol that is hung upside down on doorways to welcome luck! This annual festival is big, free, full of music, and perfect for families and friends.
20) New Year Celebration with Pao Arts
When: 2/18 at 11AM
Where: Chinatown
Info: Spend the afternoon making paper crafts and other items while learning about Lunar New Year traditions and experiencing cultural performances. Perfect for kids too!
21) Lunar New Year at Panethnic Pourovers
When: 2/24 at 8AM
Where: Quincy
Info: Stop by this cafe library that is Asian, queer, and women led to support their cause in increasing access to resources for the AAPI Community. There will be snacks, crafts, and drinks!
22) Gund Kwok Lion Dance Performance
When: 3/2 at 12PM
Where: Dorchester
Info: Watch the first Asian Women’s Lion & Dragon Dance Troupe in the U.S. perform two lion dances and share an interactive story about the history of the art. Folks can even try on one of the costumes at the end!
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[Photo by mgstanton / CC 2.0]
