How to celebrate Lunar New Year in London: live music, martial arts, cocktails and lion dances
The Year of the Dog celebrations in the British capital will be the biggest outside China, with up to 200,000 visitors enjoying Chinese culture, arts themed food and drinks, exhibitions and performances
February 16 marks the start of the Year of the Dog, and with it comes a fortnight of family gatherings, feasting and canine-themed festivities around the world. Outside China, the biggest organised Lunar New Year celebrations are set to take place in London, according to the London Chinatown Chinese Association (LCCA), attracting some 200,000 people from Britain and around the world. Here’s our pick of what’s on.
Things to see and do
Although Lunar New Year falls on February 16 this year, the main celebrations in London will take place on Sunday, February 18. Organised by the LCCA, festivities begin at 10am with a vibrant parade of handmade floats, dragon and lion dances, beginning on Charing Cross Road and winding its way through to the Chinese Gate in Chinatown. From there, a short walk takes you to Trafalgar Square, where a packed itinerary of performances starts at noon.
Then and now: Lunar New Year in Hong Kong
London’s Philharmonia Orchestra is performing a special Lunar New Year programme on March 1 at the Royal Festival Hall (seats from £10, US$14), with Yunnan Province’s Xiaoshuijing Farmers’ Choir singing Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy and Chinese folk songs, and 13-year-old piano virtuoso Serena Wang playing Mendelssohn’s First Piano Concerto. New York performance group Shen Yun are also bringing their classical Chinese dance production to the Dominion Theatre between February 16 and 25 (seats from £60).
Fo Guang Shan Buddhist temple off Oxford Street will host a special dharma service on February 16; this has been well attended in previous years, with many devotees bringing offerings of lanterns and vegetarian meals. Services continue throughout the Lunar New Year fortnight (February 15, 18 and March 2).
Food and drink
Lunar New Year is a time for feasting, so head to London’s Chinatown restaurants for roasted duck and lucky fried noodles. Be prepared to queue for a table at Golden Dragon and Imperial China, popular dim sum and barbecue stalwarts regularly frequented by the capital’s Chinese residents. Pair a traditional meal of meats and dim sum with zodiac-themed cocktails at Opium, a town house-turned-bar hidden behind a jade door down the road; their scrumptious Dog cocktail (£13) is made with Scotch whisky, noisette, biscuit syrup and chocolate bitters.
Family-friendly events
Lunar New Year coincides with British schools’ half term holidays this year, and the British Museum is hosting a week of free New Year-themed children’s activities to celebrate between February 12 and 16. Free one-day events featuring ribbon dancing, calligraphy demonstrations and more are also planned at the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green (February 10), the British Library (February 13), the Museum of London Docklands (February 16) and the National Gallery (February 17), while illustrator Christopher Corr is running an interactive workshop where he tells the story behind the Chinese zodiac at the Southbank Centre (February 16, £6).
Getting there: fly direct between Hong Kong and London Heathrow with a range of carriers; Cathay Pacific, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic operate direct flights daily.