Chinese New Year 2025 in Portland

Portland celebrates Lunar New Year with colorful parades, dragon dances, lantern displays, and cultural performances. The festivities span Chinatown and other city locations, offering activities like martial arts demonstrations, face painting, and traditional foods. Celebrations honor customs such as wearing red for luck, enjoying longevity foods, and giving red envelopes for good fortune. Firecrackers and lion dances are used to ward off bad spirits and ensure a prosperous year.

Lunar New Year Events

Portland celebrates Chinese New Year with several exciting events. The Chinese New Year Cultural Fair at the Oregon Convention Center attracts thousands, featuring performances such as martial arts, folk dances, and dragon and lion dances, along with hands-on activities like calligraphy and face painting. At the Keller Auditorium, the Chinese Friendship Association of Portland hosts a vibrant Lunar New Year Celebration, showcasing acrobatics, dance, and martial arts. At the same time, visitors can enjoy crafts and calligraphy exhibits. Washington Square Mall also holds a day-long celebration with the Wishing Tree Tradition, where attendees can make wishes and enjoy traditional performances. These events offer something for the whole family to celebrate the Year of the Dragon.

Chinese New Year Festival in Lan Su Garden (January 29–February 23, 2025)

Lan Su Garden in Portland is a premier destination for celebrating Chinese New Year, offering a colorful two-week festival packed with cultural activities. Visitors can enjoy a variety of events, such as dragon meet-and-greets, lion dances, martial arts demos, and Chinese calligraphy demonstrations. The garden is beautifully decorated for the occasion, and guests can take part in activities like creating Nianhua artwork, family crafts, and a scavenger hunt. Daytime activities run from 10 am to 4 pm, and on Chinese New Year's Day, visitors can receive traditional red envelopes, or hong bao, as gifts.

The Chinese New Year Festival at Lan Su Garden in Portland kicks off on January 29, 2025, with a lion dance, a meet-and-greet with Caishen (God of Wealth), and an opportunity to meet a snake and a bearded dragon. The first 500 visitors will receive a hongbao (red envelope) with a special Lunar New Year message.

Lan Su Garden's Chinese New Year festival features impressive lantern sculptures, including an 18-ft phoenix and a 20-ft dragon lantern from China, which are among the festival's key highlights. The garden is illuminated during Lantern Viewing Evenings, creating a magical atmosphere. These special viewing nights are available on select evenings from 6 pm to 8 pm, allowing visitors to experience the beauty of these intricate lanterns in full glow.

Lunar New Year Dragon Dance Parade

The Lunar New Year Dragon Dance Parade in Portland is a vibrant community event organized by the Portland Chinatown Museum and the Oregon Historical Society. The parade features a 150-foot dragon, lion dancers, and drummers, showcasing Chinese cultural traditions. It begins at the Portland Chinatown Museum, passes through the China Gate, and continues down SW Third Avenue, ending at the Oregon Historical Society. Along the route, lions perform the "plucking of the green" for good luck, and red envelopes are distributed to participants and onlookers. The parade runs from 10 am to 1 pm and is free to attend.