40+ Lunar New Year Events in Southern California
Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, or Tết (Vietnamese culture), is a vibrant and culturally rich celebration observed by many East Asian communities. The traditions associated with Lunar New Year are deeply rooted in ancient customs and beliefs.
Lunar New Year Traditions:
- Spring Cleaning: Before the New Year arrives, families engage in thorough cleaning to sweep away the old and make room for new and positive energy. It symbolizes a fresh start.
- Reunion Dinners: The eve of Lunar New Year is marked by a reunion dinner, where family members come together to share a festive meal. It signifies unity and the importance of family bonds.
- Dragon and Lion Dances: Colorful and energetic dragon and lion dances are performed in streets and public spaces. The dragon is a symbol of strength, good luck, and protection, while the lion dance is believed to ward off evil spirits.
- Red Envelopes (Hongbao): Elders give red envelopes containing money, known as “hongbao,” to younger family members as a gesture of good fortune and blessings for the coming year.
- Lantern Festival: Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung to symbolize the end of darkness and the arrival of light. It’s a visually stunning tradition that adds to the festive atmosphere.
- Traditional Clothing: Many people wear traditional attire, such as the qipao or hanbok, during Lunar New Year to show respect for the occasion and honor cultural heritage.
- Fireworks and Firecrackers: Loud fireworks and firecrackers are set off to chase away evil spirits. The noise and bright lights are believed to bring good luck and happiness.
- Traditional Foods: Special dishes with symbolic meanings are prepared, such as dumplings (representing wealth), fish (symbolizing surplus), and rice cakes (signifying prosperity and growth).
- Temple Visits: Some individuals visit temples to pray for good fortune and make offerings to deities. It’s a time for reflection and seeking blessings for the coming year.
- Cultural Performances: Festivals and cultural events showcase traditional music, dance, and performances, providing a platform for communities to come together and celebrate their heritage.
2025 Lunar New Year Events in Southern California
Flower Festival
Asian Garden Mall, Westminster
January 9-27, 2025
FREE
Shop for flowers, fruits, and food for Lunar New Year. Enjoy delicious food from vendors every night from 6pm to 10pm! See exciting lion dancing on the weekends. Plus, don’t miss the Firecracker Celebration on January 29 at noon.
Lunar New Year
Disney California Adventure Park
January 17 – February 16, 2025
Highlights include Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession and special appearances. Plus, enjoy special menu items, crafts, activities, and more.
The Peking Acrobats
Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa
Saturday, January 18, 2025
Tickets: $55+
See masters of agility and grace display their artful athleticism, pushing the limits of human ability and defying gravity with their amazing acts of contortion and control.
Lunar New Year Celebration
RC Sports Center, Rancho Cucamonga
January 18-19, 2025
FREE
Enjoy a weekend of cultural celebration with lion dances, martial arts performances and more! The event features foods from local vendors and carnival rides. Check out the Artisan Marketplace and where local artisans showcase their crafts.
Lunar New Festival
Garvey Ave., Downtown Monterey Park
January 18-19, 2025
FREE
Enjoy a day celebrating the Lunar New Year with lion and dragon dancers, delicious food, live entertainment, amusement rides, and more!
Photo: UCI
Lunar New Year
UCI Student Center & Irvine Barclay Theatre, Irvine
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 | 9am & 3:30pm
FREE
Join UC Irvine for a day of festivities as the campus hosts two celebrations honoring Lunar New Year.
The morning celebration in the UCI Student Center features hands-on cultural activities including origami, Chinese arts and crafts, traditional attire try-ons, games from Korea and Japan, and performances.
The afternoon celebration includes a the Dragon Dance, Feeding of the Lions, Taiko drummers, and The Wishing Tree where guests can write their hopes and dreams on ribbons.
Lunar New Year
South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa
January 23 – February 9, 2025
Enjoy a captivating photo exhibit (Nordstrom wing), Year of the Snake Centerpiece (Jewel Court), and children’s lantern crafts on weekends.
Lunar New Year Festival
Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro
Saturday, January 25, 2025
FREE
The annual Lunar New Year Festival welcomes the Year of the Snake with an afternoon of cultural attractions, dance and musical performances, petting zoo, wishing wall, and food trucks. Free parking at 22nd & Miner St., where the Downtown San Pedro Red Trolley will offer free shuttle rides. Due to anticipated rain, the event has moved indoors at AltaSea, Berth 60, Door 39.
Tết Festival
Centennial Park, Santa Ana
Saturday, January 25, 2025
FREE
This cultural celebration offers live performances, including lion and dragon dances, dancing, and food vendors. Kids can enjoy inflatables in the Kids Zone, while families can explore exhibits, library resources, and cap off the day with a fireworks show at 5:45 p.m.
Lunar Block Party
Lankershim (between Hesby & Magnolia), Los Angeles
Saturday, January 25, 2025
FREE
The third annual Lunar Block Party is an opportunity for NoHo pedestrians to reclaim the block as they welcome the new and good through food, performing arts, culture, and artisans celebrating Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese cultures.
Lunar New Year Celebration
The Shops at Santa Anita, Arcadia
Saturday, January 25, 2025
FREE
A fun-filled event featuring live performances, cultural crafts, and interactive activities. Enjoy a special musical performance by K-pop star Kevin Woo, plus experiences like balloon twisting, dough figurine crafting, sugar painting, and airbrush face painting. Don’t miss the chance to taste Dragon Whisker Candy, a traditional Chinese treat. Free event, ticket pickup required for select activities.
Lunar New Year Festival
SteelCraft, Garden Grove
Saturday, January 25, 2025
FREE
Enjoy a pop-up market, lion dancers, Korean dancers, sensory play, kids crafts, live music and more.
Lunar New Year
The District, Tustin
Saturday, January 25, 2025
FREE
Celebrate the Year of the Snake with a free, family-friendly event featuring lion dance performances, kids’ Chinese musical acts, and hands-on crafts. The first 500 families will receive a red envelope with a lucky $2 bill, while supplies last. Plus, snap festive photos at the Lunar New Year Photo Pagoda, open daily and glowing at night from January 20 – February 3.
Lunar New Year
Beverly Center, Los Angeles
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Tickets: $30
Celebrate with live entertainment, cultural activities, and delicious bites. Guests receive a lucky red envelope at check-in with a Beverly Center gift card valued between $10-$500. Enjoy custom Chinese calligraphy, live fashion illustrations, festive photo ops, and performances including lion dances and traditional dances. Sip on Chinese tea cocktails (21+) and experience a traditional tea ceremony by Steep LA. 100% of proceeds will be donated and matched to support the LAFD Foundation.
Lunar New Year Festival
FV Recreation Center, Fountain Valley
January 25, 2025
FREE
Celebrate the Year of the Snake with a day of games, crafts, and cultural activities honoring the traditions of Lunar New Year. Learn about its history through interactive experiences while enjoying a festive community atmosphere.
Lunar New Year Celebration
Rodeo 39, Stanton
January 25, 2025
FREE
Red envelope giveaway, mini market, dragon dance performance, face painting, flash tattoos, and specialty cocktails.
Lunar Festival
Mission Inn Ave., Riverside
January 25-26, 2025
FREE
The Riverside Lunar Festival offers a mix of cultural performances, including K-Pop and lion dances and carnival rides. Kids can engage in hands-on workshops like calligraphy, tea ceremonies, and Lunar New Year crafts, while families explore an artisan market and enjoy gourmet street food. Car enthusiasts the JDM Car Exhibit.
Lunar New Year
Kidspace Children’s Museum, Pasadena
January 25-26, 2025
Included with Admission
Welcome the Year of the Snake with family-friendly activities, including special art projects, a cozy pop-up library about the Chinese zodiac, and traditional lion dog dances.
Lunar New Year
Pretend City Children’s Museum, Irvine
Sunday, January 26, 2025
Included with Admission
Celebrate the Year of the Snake with cultural performances and family fun! Experience the powerful beats of traditional Japanese drumming at 11:00 AM and the vibrant lion dance at 2:30 PM, featuring acrobatics and live music to bring good luck for the new year.
Lunar New Year
Nixon Library, Yorba Linda
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Celebrate family, friends, and fortune with cultural performances and food at the Nixon Library.
Photo: USVA Tết Festival
USVA Tết Festival
Garden Grove Park
January 31 – February 2, 2025
Admission: $8
USVA Tết Festival is one of the largest Vietnamese festivals in the nation. The festival offers hundreds of booths, traditional foods, live entertainment, festival games, and customary Vietnamese New Year celebrations. Free admission for anyone wearing traditional outfits, military, and scout uniforms (valid Saturday from 12-1pm).
Lunar New Year Celebration
South Coast Botanic Garden, Palos Verdes Peninsula
February 1-28, 2025
Admission: $15-23
Enjoy festive activities including art-making stations to make kites and snake puppets, participate in an interactive plant walk, enjoy storytelling, wishing tree, music, and photo ops. An add-on show featuring lion dances, martial artists, folk dancers, and drummers take place every weekend for an additional fee.
Lunar New Year
Cerritos Towne Center, Cerritos
Saturday, February 1, 2025
FREE
Lion Dance performances, kids’ crafts, photo opportunities, stilt walkers and Lucky Red Envelope Giveaway!
Lunar New Year
The Shops at Mission Viejo
Saturday, February 1, 2025
FREE
Visit the shops for artwork exhibits and special performances by Mandarin immersion students.
Lunar New Year
Outlets of San Clemente
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Enjoy a festive day of live entertainment, dragon and lion dances, and family-friendly activities. Watch performances by local Mandarin immersion students, get a festive face painting, and take part in interactive activities celebrating the Year of the Snake.
Tết Parade
Bolsa Ave. (between Magnolia & Bushard), Westminster
Saturday, February 1, 2025
FREE
The Westminster Tết Parade has been a cornerstone of Lunar New Year celebrations in Little Saigon for over 20 years. Broadcast globally, it features floats, lion dances, marching bands, cultural attire, veterans, youth organizations, martial arts, and local businesses. Hosted by the City of Westminster, the event not only marks the Lunar New Year but honors the vibrant Vietnamese-American community in Orange County, the largest outside Vietnam. This annual parade celebrates their traditions, beliefs, and rich heritage.
Lunar New Year
USC Pacific Asia Museum, Los Angeles
Saturday, February 1, 2025
FREE
Celebrate the Year of the Snake with a lively festival featuring lion dancers, traditional music, dance, and opera. Enjoy live storytelling, hands-on festive crafts, and tasty bites from local food trucks. Plus, don’t miss the special exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: A Material Odyssey. This free, all-ages event includes museum admission!
Photo by The Huntington Library
Lunar New Year
The Huntington Library, San Marino
February 1-2, 2025
Welcome the Year of the Snake with Korean music and dance, Cambodian classical music and dance, martial arts, lion dancers, mask-changing artist, calligraphy demos, Chinese opera, Tai Chi demos, Chinese floral displays, LEGO display, family story time, and more.
Lunar New Year Celebration
Citadel Outlets, Los Angeles
February 1-2, 2025
FREE
Enjoy performances and cultural activities for families, including the red envelope tradition for good luck.
Photo: Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Lunar New Year
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Tickets: $43
Join the Pacific Symphony’s annual festivities during the Lunar New Year. Enjoy a colorful performance of Eastern and Western music and dance.
Lunar New Year
The Market Place, Tustin
Saturday, February 1, 2025
FREE
Enjoy martial arts, choir, drummers, lion and dragon dances, calligraphy artist, live snake exhibit, themed crafts, stilt walkers, and mocktail bar. Don’t miss the special lantern art installation, Pathway to Prosperity from January 29 – February 12.
Lunar New Year
L.A. Zoo
February 1-2, 2025
Enjoy special activities and performances honoring the Year of the Snake including bilingual story time, special animal feedings, Slithering Snakes & Monkey Mania education stations, zoo-diac tour, and more.
Lunar New Year Celebration
Woodbury Town Center, Irvine
Sunday, February 2, 2025
FREE
Experience a festive night at Woodbury Town Center with delicious food, live DJ music, a lion dance, acrobatics, and a snake handler presentation.
Family Sundays: Lunar New Year Celebration
Casa Romantica, San Clemente
Sunday, February 2, 2025
FREE
Enjoy free admission to Casa Romantica and celebrate the new year with a lion dance performance and crafts for kids.
Lunar New Year
Santa Anita Park, Arcadia
February 1-2, 2025
Admission: $5
Ring in the Year of the Dragon with a day of lion and dragon dances, musical performances, family-friendly activities, and live horse racing. Take a chance at the $30,000 Wealth Tree, where one lucky guest could win $5,000! Enjoy festive entertainment, delicious food, and the excitement of the racetrack.
Lunar Lantern Festival
San Gabriel Mission District
February 1-2. 2025
FREE
See amazing lantern displays, live performances, street foods, shopping, and more.
Lunar New Year
San Diego Zoo
February 1-2. 2025
INCLUDED WITH ADMISSION
Welcome the Year of the Snake with a weekend of special activities celebrating Asian wildlife and culture. Meet wildlife care specialists to learn about tigers, red pandas, and other species, and chat with conservationists working to protect them. Create festive crafts, add a wish to the conservation wishing tree, and snap a photo with Bamboo Panda.
Lunar New Year
Bella Terra, Huntington Beach
Monday, February 3, 2025
FREE
Celebrate Lunar New Year at the Bella Terra Kids Club with entertainment and crafts for the Year of the Snake! Event is free, registration required.
Anaheim Ducks Lunar New Year Celebration
Honda Center, Anaheim
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
The first 10,000 fans in attendance receive a free Year of the Snake shirt. City of Santa Ana employees and residents can purchase tickets by visiting AnaheimDucks.com/SantaAnaLunarNY for savings.
Lunar New Year
One Colorado, Pasadena
Saturday, February 8, 2025
FREE
Celebrate cultural performances, including lion and dragon dances, and live music. Kids can enjoy lantern crafting, receive red envelopes for good luck, and experience the festive atmosphere with family-friendly activities.
Photo: Alhambra Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year
Main Street, Alhambra
Sunday, February 8, 2025
FREE
Experience a day-long celebration with cultural performances, live art, cooking demos, and interactive experiences. Explore Artist Alley for handcrafted goods, savor authentic cuisine, and try the new Cultural Passport experience to learn how different regions celebrate the holiday. Families can enjoy the Kid’s Zone, games, and festive photo ops, while the Main Stage features a dragon dance, candy sculpting, and more.
Golden Dragon Lunar New Year Parade
Chinatown, Los Angeles
Saturday, March 22, 2025
FREE
Celebrate Lunar New Year at this iconic parade, featuring lion dances, dance troupes, music groups, and cultural performances along North Broadway. Government officials, business leaders, and community organizations join in the festivities, making it one of the largest celebrations in Southern California. Expect dazzling floats, traditional performances, and plenty of excitement.
Lunar New Year
Santa Monica Place
Saturday, February 8, 2025
FREE
Step into the Year of the Snake with festive décor, cherry blossom wishing trees, and red and gold lanterns. Enjoy a free family-friendly event featuring lion dances, live music, a Chinese dough artist, a balloon artist, and kids’ crafts. Don’t forget to grab a Lunar New Year craft kit, while supplies last!
Lunar New Year Celebration
Fashion Island, Newport Beach
Saturday, February 8, 2025
FREE
Celebrate the Year of the Snake with a lion dance, live calligraphy demonstration, kite painting, sweet treats from See’s Candies, and Wood Snake Art Installation.
Photo: Irvine Spectrum Center
Lunar New Year Celebration
Irvine Spectrum Center
Sunday, February 9, 2025
FREE
Celebrate the Year of the Snake with lion and dragon dances, martial arts demonstrations, Chinese dance performances, and live music. Enjoy the Lunar Libation Mocktail Bar near H&M. Don’t forget to stop by the wood snake sculpture (January 29 – February 12) near Regal Theater.
Lunar New Year Celebration
MainPlace Mall, Santa Ana
Saturday, February 15, 2025
FREE
Ring in the Year of the Snake with lion and dragon dances, live orchestra and dance performances, and traditional zither music. Enjoy kids’ crafts, festive giveaways, and an educational Lunar New Year display. Lucky red envelopes, fortune cookies, and plush toys are available while supplies last.
Lunar New Year
LA County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, Arcadia
Saturday, February 15, 2025
Included with Admission
Enjoy lion dances, Kung Fu demonstrations, and a live snake and reptile meet-and-greet. Kids can enjoy arts and crafts, visit the Lunar New Year Wishing Tree, receive wildflower seeds in red envelopes, and more.
Lunar New Year Celebration
2ND & PCH, Long Beach
Saturday, February 17, 2025
FREE
Enjoy a day of cultural performances, family-friendly activities, and a Lunar New Year Dreamers Market featuring artisanal vendors and unique treats. Celebrate by the marina with live entertainment and a vibrant community atmosphere.
Lantern Festival
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa
Saturday, February 22, 2025
FREE
Experience a free, family-friendly festival filled with music, dance, cultural performances, and hands-on activities. Enjoy lantern decorating, riddles, a dragon dance, and photo opportunities as the concert hall transforms with community-created lanterns. Explore live performances by local artists and Pacific Symphony musicians while celebrating the rich traditions of the Lantern Festival. Admission is free, but tickets are required.
Categories: Blog
This post was written by Kidsguide
