Chinese New Year festivities occur at multiple locations across the Austin area. Events differ from year to year, yet the top pick is the annual Chinatown Center's Lunar New Year Celebration.
Lunar New Year Festival at Austin Chinatown Center (canceled in 2024)
The two-day entertainment in the heart of the Chinese shopping and cuisine center ranges from celebratory lion and dragon dances to kids' face painting and other family-friendly activities. You'll see exciting firecracker explosion shows, drum performances, and some martial arts. Food vendors and local artisans will be operating too.
CNY festive foods (canceled in 2024)
Besides, a fantastic bonus of your visit will be dozens of Asian restaurants offering fragrant delicacies. Traditionally, sweet dishes are popular during the holiday, as they symbolize fortune in the new year to come. Along with dumplings and rice cakes, people often feast on tikoy, a Chinese New Year's cake made of glutinous rice flour.
Also, the Chinatown Center is home to a massive MT Supermarket, where you'll find all ingredients of Chinese New Year so that later you could throw an at-home party of your own.
Chinatown Center's Lunar New Year Celebration is free. Just bring your best mood and a handful of curiosity and plunge into a cultural journey!
CNY at Austin Great Wall Chinese School (February 4, 2024)
If you appreciate students' arts, you can also join a festival held at Austin Great Wall Chinese School. They have thrown a celebration yearly since 1994. Young and teen students promise you a great variety of cute and impressive performances. You will enjoy Chinese yo-yo, martial arts, singing, and dancing.
Chinese New Year at Xiang Yun Temple (February 2024, TBC)
Another low-key celebration can be discovered at IBPS Austin Xiang Yun Temple. The festivities welcoming CNY typically span three days, starting with a vegetarian potluck dinner on the initial day of the holiday. The next morning opens with a morning chanting service and food offerings to the Buddha. The final day is all about having fun, so you can expect some live entertainment and a vegetarian food fair.
