Chinese New Year in Australia 2025

Australia’s Lunar New Year celebrations are vibrant, drawing together Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese communities across major cities for dragon dances, firecrackers, food markets, and live performances. The 2025 celebration marks the Year of the Snake, a symbol of wisdom, renewal, abundance, and prosperity in Chinese culture. Events and performances unfold in areas like Sydney’s Chinatown and Melbourne’s Docklands, with large gatherings, cultural displays, and special food offerings that reflect the festive traditions of the Lunar New Year.

Melbourne Celebrations

Melbourne’s Lunar New Year celebration is a lively ten-day festival, with Queensbridge Square as the focal point. Here, visitors enjoy Kung Fu presentations, dragon dance parades, and a variety of cultural performances featuring over 300 artists, including traditional Chinese music, dance, theater, and magic acts. The festival concludes with a lantern parade and a Chinese square dance competition at Queensbridge Square.

Other areas, like Southgate, Queen Victoria Market, Docklands, and the Yarra River banks, are also decorated festively. Chinatown hosts the Chinese Lunar New Year Dragon Festival, complete with lion dances, market stalls, firecrackers, and delicious food. Throughout the Central Business District and surrounding suburbs, Melbourne offers unique festival experiences, from themed performances to diverse food options, making it a dynamic celebration of the Lunar New Year.

Sydney Celebrations

Sydney’s Chinese New Year Festival is a two-week event, recognized as the largest Lunar New Year celebration outside Asia, attracting over a million visitors each year. The festivities take place across Chinatown, where weekend lion dance parades feature firecrackers, Friday night food fairs offer Chinese cuisine, and local restaurants provide special menus.

Centered around the Sydney Lunar Festival in Haymarket and the CBD, the celebration includes live performances, roaming entertainers, market stalls, and food trucks. Visitors can attend tea ceremonies, fortune readings, and a Twilight Garden Party at the Chinese Garden of Friendship. At Darling Harbour, additional events include cultural performances, lion dances, and dragon boat races.

Communities in Burwood, Chatswood, Cabramatta, Eastwood, and Hurstville also hold their own Lunar New Year celebrations. Key events across Sydney include karaoke on Sydney Harbor Bridge, Korean aerial theater at Circular Quay, dragon boat races, and large animal lantern displays. Around 80 events are planned in total.

Other Cities

Massive celebrations also take place in Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin, Perth, Brisbane, and other Australian cities with large Asian communities.