The Biggest Chinese New Year Festivals Around the World

Chinese cultural festivals have become global sensations, drawing massive crowds each year for vibrant parades, spectacular lantern displays, and delicious holiday treats. From Spring Festival global events to modern takes on Mid-Autumn Festival and Dragon Boat Festival around the world, these celebrations showcase the rich legacy and evolving traditions of Chinese heritage. Below, we highlight some of the most popular Chinese festivities across international locations, complete with short descriptions and essential details on their dates, venues, and typical attendance numbers.

Singapore’s Chingay Parade

Singapore’s Chingay Parade transforms the city’s streets into an explosion of color, music, and sheer artistry. This Chinese New Year celebration worldwide features dazzling floats, intricate costumes, lion dances, and even futuristic props, reflecting Singapore’s multicultural identity. Typically held around the first weekend after Lunar New Year, Chingay has evolved into one of the world’s biggest Chinese festivals globally, mesmerizing residents and visitors alike.

• Date: Usually late January or early February (first weekend after Lunar New Year)
• Location: Streets of central Singapore (pit area near the Singapore Flyer and F1 track)
• Attendance: Around 100,000 spectators annually
• Tickets

Shanghai’s Yuyuan Lantern Festival

Nestled in the historic Yuyuan Gardens, Shanghai’s Lantern Festival is a world-class display of illuminated artistry that delights millions every year. Towering dragons, whimsical rabbits, and vibrant fish lanterns line the ancient walkways, representing prosperity, good luck, and happiness. The festival signals the end of the Spring Festival period and remains one of the top Lantern Festival highlights in all of China.

• Date: Lantern Festival (15th day of the first lunar month)
• Location: Yuyuan Gardens, Shanghai, China
• Attendance: Over 2 million visitors throughout the festival period

New York’s Firecracker Ceremony and Festival

In Manhattan’s Chinatown, the Firecracker Ceremony and Festival marks the Lunar New Year with a thunderous welcome. Organizers light hundreds of thousands of firecrackers, supposedly scaring away evil spirits and making a bold statement amid the city’s towering skyline. Live entertainment, lion dances, and vibrant parades create a lively street party that exemplifies Chinatown festivals worldwide in all their booming glory.

• Date: Usually on the Lunar New Year Day or shortly afterward
• Location: Sara D. Roosevelt Park and surrounding streets, New York City, USA
• Attendance: Approximately 80,000 people each year

Seoul’s Fortune Party at the Korean Folk Village

Referred to locally as Seollal, Korea’s Lunar New Year sees most locals traveling back home, making Seoul relatively quiet. However, the Fortune Party at the Korean Folk Village keeps traditions alive: folk games, daljiptaeugi (ritual bonfire for good fortune), and mouthwatering rice cake soup known as tteokguk. This low-key yet culturally immersive event highlights traditional Chinese festivals overseas, as many of these customs share roots with broader East Asian celebrations.

• Date: Official Lunar New Year date plus additional days (varies each year)
• Location: Korean Folk Village, Yongin, near Seoul, South Korea
• Attendance: Ranges from 10,000 to 15,000 visitors over the festive period

LA’s Golden Dragon Parade

Los Angeles hosts one of the most iconic dragon dance festivals worldwide, bridging Chinese tradition with Hollywood flair. Known as the Golden Dragon Parade, it winds through the city’s historic Chinatown, featuring colorful floats, marching bands, and, of course, a majestic golden dragon carried by a small army of performers. Spanning over a century, it’s older than the Hollywood sign itself and remains a cornerstone of Chinese New Year celebrations worldwide.

• Date: Usually the first or second Saturday after Lunar New Year
• Location: North Broadway, Chinatown, Los Angeles, USA
• Attendance: Roughly 110,000 spectators annually
• Tickets

Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem Lake Fireworks (Tet Celebration)

In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is known as Tet, and Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi hosts a spectacular midnight fireworks display that ushers in a fresh start for the year. The show typically lasts around 15 minutes, backed by cultural performances leading up to the countdown. This is Tet at its finest—an enchanting combination of color, light, and centuries-old customs.

• Date: Lunar New Year’s Eve (Tet Eve)
• Location: Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi, Vietnam
• Attendance: Tens of thousands gather in the lake’s vicinity for the midnight firework

Manchester’s Chinese New Year Parade

Home to one of the UK’s oldest Chinese communities, Manchester pulls out all the stops for its annual New Year parade. Expect a 175-foot dragon weaving through city streets, alongside lively lion dancers, giant Buddha dolls, and a range of cultural performances. The city also hosts huge art installations—like last year’s stunning 50-foot golden dragon in St Ann’s Square—bringing global Chinese heritage celebrations to the heart of Northern England.

• Date: Typically the Sunday following Lunar New Year
• Location: City Centre and Chinatown, Manchester, UK
• Attendance: Over 50,000 spectators in recent years

Vancouver’s Spring Festival Parade

Vancouver’s Spring Festival Parade merges Chinese culture with the city’s multicultural tapestry. Known for its vibrant lion dances, cultural dance troupes, and martial arts showcases, it makes its way from the Millennium Gate into Chinatown, eventually culminating in an assortment of street food and craft stalls. With a 50-year history, the parade reflects the city’s evolving identity and remains a shining example of Chinese cultural festivals abroad.

• Date: Usually on the first Sunday after Lunar New Year
• Location: Starts near Millennium Gate, flows through Vancouver’s Chinatown, Canada
• Attendance: Around 100,000 annually

Tokyo’s (Yokohama) Chinese Spring Festival

Greater Tokyo’s Yokohama is home to the biggest Chinatown in Japan, and it truly comes alive during the Chinese New Year, locally referred to as the Chinese Spring Festival. Expect an exuberant countdown party, a celebratory parade with costumed performers, and the famous Cai Qing (lion dance) tradition, where red envelopes (hongbao) are fed to the lion for luck. For two bustling weeks, the district’s streets are a riot of music, food stalls, and cultural exhibits.

• Date: Varies each year, generally aligned with the Lunar New Year’s first two weeks
• Location: Yokohama Chinatown, Tokyo-Yokohama area, Japan
• Attendance: Around 200,000 visitors over the festival duration

Chicago’s Lunar New Year Parade

Chicago’s Chinatown transforms each year for a grand parade featuring marching bands, colorful floats, and lion dancers as they snake through the neighborhood. Decorated with red lanterns and firecracker hangings, the streets resonate with the beat of drums and the energy of local cultural troupes. This festival also incorporates small business pop-ups offering special goods for the holiday, weaving tradition into the city’s modern, bustling landscape.

• Date: Typically on a Sunday shortly after Lunar New Year’s Day
• Location: Chinatown area, near Cermak Road and Wentworth Avenue, Chicago, USA
• Attendance: Approximately 30,000–40,000 attendees each year

In an increasingly interconnected world, these Chinese festivals and traditions have taken root in diverse cultural landscapes, influencing how people celebrate new beginnings, honor familial ties, and preserve ancient folklore. Whether you find yourself lost in the swirling confetti of Singapore’s Chingay or mesmerized by the radiant lanterns in Shanghai’s Yuyuan Gardens, the enduring spirit of the Lunar New Year stands strong. For travelers and locals alike, these events are more than a spectacle—they’re an invitation to experience the warmth, hospitality, and enduring heritage of Chinese communities worldwide.

So, mark your calendars, ready your camera for that perfect dragon dance snap, and dive into the lively atmosphere of these Chinese festivals happening across the planet. With each vibrant parade and fireworks display, you’ll not only be celebrating the end of winter’s chill but also paying tribute to cultural roots that have flourished and thrived under the global spotlight.