Celebrate Lunar New Year 2025! Wednesday 29 January marks the beginning of the Year of the Snake, and there are plenty of celebrations taking place around Sydney’s North Shore. From night markets to calligraphy, we bring you all the exciting events you can enjoy this Lunar New Year.
Chinese astrology welcomes 2025 as the ‘Year of the Snake,’ a mythical creature symbolising strength, power, wisdom, nobility, good fortune and success. With that in mind, check out all the events to be enjoyed around Sydney’s North Shore to celebrate the Chinese New Year!
- Lunar New Year Food Markets, St Ives
- Stories and craft, Gordon
- Lunar New Year, Macquarie Shopping Centre
- Lunar New Year at Ku-ring-gai Art Centre
- Year of the Dragon Festival, Chatswood
- New Year In The Plaza, Lane Cove
- Lunar New Year Festival, North Sydney
- Lunar at Sea, Australian Maritime Museum
- Lunar New Year @ Sydney CBD
Lunar New Year Events: North Shore
Lunar New Year Food Market, St Ives
St Ives Village Green will come alive on the evening of Friday 7 February with a delicious food market.
The Year of the Snake will be celebrated with the food markets from 5pm and 9pm with an array of food trucks and food stalls at St Ives Village Green, with visitors able to sit outside and eat or pick up a tasty takeaway to take home.
Bring your picnic rug and relax under the lanterns whilst enjoying some delicious Asian cuisine and street food. There will be amusement rides, craft activities and face painting to keep the younger children entertained.
There will also be cultural entertainment program. Ensure to arrive early for the Qing Fong Lion dance a performance not to be missed.
- When: Friday 7 February, 5pm-9pm
- Where: St Ives Village Green
- Cost: Free
- Event details
Lunar New Year, Macquarie Shopping Centre
Celebrate the Year of the Snake this Lunar New Year at Macquarie Shopping Centre from 23 Jan – 2 Feb.
- Take a selfie with our Serpent of Wisdom
- Immerse yourself in the traditional Lion & Dragon Dance
- Tantalise the tastebuds on their Lunar Food Trail
- Plus, for every $100 you spend at participating fashion retailers, receive a $10 Lunar Eats Food Trail Voucher!
- When: 23 January – 2 February
- Where: Macquarie Shopping Centre
- Event details
Lunar New Year at Gordon Library
2025 marks the Year of the Snake! To celebrate this wise and resilient animal, Gordon Library will be hosting a special bilingual storytime event for school aged children. Stories will be shared in Mandarin and English by Emma and Jo, craft will be provided as well as learning some words phrases in Mandarin.
Also at Gordon Library on Saturday 1 February you can learn the art of Calligraphy where you will use a brush and paper to explore this ancient art form for 14+ years. You can then join for a performance of Chinese folk dancing and be introduced to some of their many forms.
- When: 21 January – 1 February
- Where: Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway Gordon
- Website
Lunar New Year at Ku-ring-gai Art Centre
Get your hands messy and create something cool with clay with a ceramics class! In this pottery workshop, you’ll be creating your very own pieces in preparation to celebrate the Year of the Snake. It’s all about having fun with your creations, the only limits are your imagination!
You can also celebrate Lunar New Year with two exciting family workshops – Calligraphy and Floating Fans, both free for families!
In the Calligraphy workshop, you’ll discover the art of beautiful writing. Learn traditional techniques and styles, creating stunning characters and symbols that represent good fortune and joy for the New Year.
- When: Wednesday 22 January
- Where: Ku-ring-gai Art Centre, 3 Recreation Ave, Roseville
- Website
Year of the Dragon Festival, Chatswood
The prestigious Chatswood Lunar New Year Festival is an annual festival celebrating Luna New Year. There are plenty of events happening, including calligraphy workshops, lantern craft and Lunar New Year Celebration Day on 1 February.
The 2025 program includes:
- Draw your lunar fortune (23 January – 2 February): Choose one or more fortune sticks from the life-sized barrel and reveal your special messages of luck and prosperity.
- Lunar New Year Celebration Day (Saturday 1 February): With over 130 stalls spread throughout Chatswood on Victoria Avenue from Chatswood Interchange to Archer Street, you’ll smell the aroma of steamed dumplings, fried rice, and succulent pork rolls as well as many other flavours from the globe as we all celebrate the Year of the Dragon.
- Lantern Parade 2025 (Saturday 1 February): There will be vibrant dancers and harmonious melodies of traditional Chinese music by marching bands and performers.
- When: 27 January – 2 February 2025
- Where: Chatswood Concourse
- Cost: Free
- Website
Lunar New Year In The Plaza, Lane Cove
Bring in the Year of the Snake at this special event featuring a range of activities and live performances at Lane Cove Plaza from 3:30pm – 6:00pm.
Pak Hok Kung Fu will perform their special lion dance. The dancers will then travel to The Canopy for the finale.
Continue the Lunar New Year celebrations with a free screening of Kung Fu Panda at The Canopy starting at 6pm (rated PG).
- When: Friday 31 February, 3.30pm-7.30pm
- Where: Lane Cove Plaza, 24-28 Burns Bay Road Lane Cove
- Cost: Free
- Website
Lunar New Year Festival, North Sydney
Grab your friends and come on down to the library to celebrate the Year of the Snake with our Lunar New Year Festival!
Learn about the celebration of Lunar New Year with a bilingual Storytime and stay for a sssssenssssational encounter with some ssseriously ssscaly creatures from Taronga Zoo.
- When: Thursday 23 January, 10.30am-12pm
- Where: Stanton Library, 234 Miller Street, North Sydney
- Cost: Free
- Website
Lunar New Year Events in Sydney
Lunar Sea at the Australian National Maritime Museum
Celebrate the year of the Snake at the Maritime Museum with a full day of captivating cultural performances and creative family-friendly workshops. Join in an array of art making activities like traditional ink-painting and lantern making, enjoy tea tasting, mandarin language tours activity trails, face painting and roving Lion and Dragon Dance performances.
Program presented in partnership with the China Cultural Centre.
- When: Weekends from 9 February, 11am-5pm
- Where: Australian National Maritime Museum
- Cost: Free
- Website
Sydney Lunar Festival in Sydney CBD
Dragon Boat Racing at Cockle Bay
Enjoy fabulous feasts, see spectacular shows and marvel at magnificent artworks.
- Sydney Lunar Streets – Haymarket street festival (1 Feb): Join us for an unforgettable street party to launch the Sydney Lunar Festival and welcome in the Year of the Snake.
- Lunar Spectacular (8 Feb): Cultural groups will take to the Centennial Hall stage for Lunar Spectacular in a vibrant celebration of dance, music and song.
- Lion Dancing and Cultural Performances: Community performers and lion dancers will take to the streets bringing colour, music and movement to our city.
- Dragon Boats Festival (7-9 Feb): Watch the biggest dragon boat festival in the southern hemisphere as more than 3,000 paddlers churn up the waters and battle it out.
- 12 Lunar Lanterns by Erika Zhu (29 January – 16 February): Catch a glimpse of our 12 beautiful lanterns as they lead you through Haymarket and up George Street. These 12 animals, each standing at an impressive 4 metres tall, are infused with a playful charm that beckons joy and character.
- Snake Installation on Dixon Street (29 January – 16 February): Take a seat on the body of the red and gold snakes as they light up Dixon Street Mall.
- Chinese Garden of Friendship: This Lunar New Year the Chinese Garden of Friendship is celebrating with lion dance, tea ceremonies, watercolour painting workshops, Chinese Astrology readings and lots more!
- When: 29 January – 16 February
- Where: Various locations Sydney City
- Website
