This year, Chinese New Year ~ The Year of the Rabbit ~ falls on Sunday, January 22nd, with the celebrations lasting before and after. Even though we are firmly in Winter, this Holiday is also known as the Spring Festival, and is the longest Chinese Holiday, with celebrations up to 16 days. It is a time for praying to gods and fighting off monsters. Here are a few suggestions for celebrating The Lunar New Year in NYC, The Year of the Rabbit.
Did you know that there are Chinese New Year Taboos? To help you with that, here are the top 10 taboos during the Chinese New Year. Follow these and fortune will smile on you.
Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems: iSING! Suzhou with The Philadelphia Orchestra at Lincoln Center ~ January 7
In celebration of Lunar New Year, the iSING! Suzhou International Young Artist Festival and the Philadelphia Orchestra bring the Tang Dynasty to life with 15 ancient poems set by young international composers, performed by a roster of young singers from around the world. The North American premiere of this landmark program, the culmination of the 2020 iSING! Composition Competition, will be conducted by Lio Kuokman, former Philadelphia Orchestra Assistant Conductor, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Orchestra’s historic 1973 tour of China. The concert is a co-production of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Asian Performing Arts Council and the Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre, which hosted the program’s world premiere in late 2020. Starr Theater, Alice Tully Hall.
Yuja Wang, Lindberg, and Beethoven at Lincoln Center ~ January 7
Yuja Wang performs the New York Premiere of the Third Piano Concerto by Magnus Lindberg, a former Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence. Santtu-Matias Rouvali leads the Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2; composed as the composer could no longer ignore his increasing deafness, the work is nevertheless one of his most hopeful creations. David Geffen Hall from January 5-10.
2023 Chinese New Year Festival ~ Immerse in Suzhou Culture ~ January 8
This year, the party will open with our most popular, the crowd-favorite lion dance, followed by New Year-themed workshops and activities tailored for all age groups. Guest artists who have traveled from Suzhou also bring us an in-person backstage experience of the internationally-renowned local Kun Opera (昆曲), as well as exquisite Suzhou-style embroidery (苏绣), and Pingtan (评弹), the very form of ballad singing in Suzhou with Chinese instruments, all recognized as intangible cultural heritage in China and by UNESCO. Register for this Event.
Pastel Naomi Art Class ~ Lunar New Year Edition at Asia Society ~ January 14
During the session, the instructor will guide the parent and child to work together on an artwork inspired by an auspicious fruit of Lunar New Year—mandarin orange. The Chinese pronunciation of mandarin orange resembles good fortune, and its hue also likens the color of gold, a color of wealth and prosperity.
A Virtual Chinese Music Workshop for People Living with Dementia or Alzheimer’s ~ January 17
Led by a music therapist in Mandarin, share memories and stories, enjoy familiar melodies from long ago and some more recent such as 甜蜜蜜、康定情歌、茉莉花、祝福、童年、月亮代表我的心. Care partners are also welcome and encouraged to join in the music making too! Register by calling the CaringKind’s helpline, Chinese language available.
Flushing Town Hall Presents “Thump Thump” Rabbit Coloring Workshop ~ January 21
In celebration of the year of the rabbit, participants will color a rabbit painting together! During this family-friendly workshop, artist Stephanie Lee will guide guests step by step toward a finished rabbit painting. The artwork will be inspired by 19th-century Korean folk art depicting rabbits making medicine of immortality, under a cinnamon tree on a full moon.
Flushing Town Hall Present a Lunar New Year Photo Exhibition ~ January 21
While the Lunar New Year is a celebration of renewal with hearts full of hope for health and prosperity in the year ahead, the photographers exhibited here show there is also beauty in the daily lives of this community, in the city they call home.
Celebrate The Lunar New Year with New York City Parks ~ January 21-22
Lunar New Year is Sunday, January 22, 2023, and it’s the year of the rabbit! Join the festivities as we celebrate Lunar New Year in New York City. Find parades, festivals, and more taking place in and around NYC parks.
Lunar New Year Family Festival at Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) ~ January 21 (Sold Out)
The annual New Year Family Festival at the Museum is sold out this year. However the Museum is a wonderful and informative place to visit in celebration of the New Year anytime.
The MET Present Insider Insights ~ Celebrating the Year of the Rabbit ~ January 21
Join Museum curator Jason Sun on an exploration of the exhibition Celebrating the Year of the Rabbit. Discover the significance of the rabbit in the Chinese zodiac and take a closer look at depictions of rabbits in The Met collection created in China in the last three thousand years. Please note: This program is prerecorded.
Saturday, January 21st at 10am in Mandarin and at 10:30am in English. Free and registration is not required.
Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce Celebrates 2023 Lunar New Year ~ January 21
March with the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce in the 2023 Lunar New Year Parade on Saturday, January 21st at 11am.
Year of the Rabbit Community Art & Guided Winter Walk at Queens Botanical Garden ~ January 21
Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with family-friendly community art and guided winter walk. Make your mark in a community-created display for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday and explore our 39 acres on an outdoor winter walk! Recommended for age 5 and up.
The 25th New Year Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival ~ January 22
The 25th New Year Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival will take place on Sunday, January 22 from 11am to 3:30pm.
This year’s Parade Route: Mott & Canal to Chatham Square to East Broadway towards the Manhattan Bridge, completing on Eldridge and Forsyth Streets towards Grand Street next to Sara D. Roosevelt Park.
Miffy Presents Lunar New Year at Queens Botanical Gardens ~ January 28
Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with Miffy, the globally beloved bunny! Come for lion dance performances, zodiac crafts, demonstrations, storytime, lucky plant sale, and more!
Flushing Town Hall Presents Chinese Theatre Works: Sao Bang-ah, Rabbit! Budaixi-style Puppetry with Live Music ~ January 29
Audiences will be introduced to traditional Chinese New Year customs and foods (red envelopes, fish and “nian gao”). Special guests include the Jade Rabbit on the Moon and other all-star members of our Zodiac puppet ensemble. Sing-alongs, games, and hands-on post-show demonstrations will make the Chinese bi-lingual cultural experience accessible to even the youngest audience members!
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Here are 21 things you may not have known about the Chinese New Year.
#YearOfTheRabbit
Take a look back at Lunar New Year 2022 and 2021.
Did you know that Chinatown was the recipient of 11 transformation projects as part of a Downtown Revitalization Initiative?
Visit the Kimlau War Memorial, a NYC Landmark in Chinatown.
Don’t miss Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya’s mural ‘Raise Your Voice’ at The Museum of the City of New York ~ the artists’ entitled ‘We Are More” in Times Square ~ Her public art ‘I Still Believe in our City’ and her cover on Time Magazine.
While in Chinatown, don’t miss ‘Assembly for Chinatown’ ~ beautifully personalized open-air outdoor dining spaces on nine sites for thirteen businesses (and more to come).
Did you know that CITYarts restored the mural ‘Flowering Vice & Us‘ in St. James Triangle Park?
While in Columbus Park, don’t miss the monument of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Republic of China. This permanent sculpture was unveiled on the anniversary of his 153rd birthday in 2019.
From our archives, Public Art Addressing Anti-Asian Racism ~ the artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya: I Still Believe in Our City and Her Cover on Time Magazine