Where to Celebrate Lunar New Year 2025 in Sydney
Lunar New Year in Sydney is one of the city's largest cultural celebrations, and the 2025 celebrations are ready to go off with a colourful bang!
Ushering in the Year of the Snake, Lunar New Year 2025 runs from 18 January to 16 February 2025, with epic events happening all across the city. We've rounded up some of the best Chinese Lunar New Year events for Sydney families to start the Year of the Snake on a seriously festive note.
What is the Meaning of the Animal in Chinese New Year 2025?

Before we delve into all the festivities happening this Chinese New Year, why don't we take a look at the meaning behind this year's animal? 2025 is the Year of the Snake, which is the sixth animal in the Chinese Zodiac. According to traditional Chinese culture, the Year of the Snake is associated with spiritual growth, transformation, and renewal. Because snakes are known for their ability to shed their skin, the theme for the Year of the Snake is all about ushering in the new and letting go of the old. 2025 is set to be a year of self-discovery and growth - three cheers for that!
Lunar New Year in Sydney 2025
1. Lunar New Year in Bankstown

The City of Canterbury Bankstown invites you to share in the celebrations and explore the neighbourhood's cultural diversity as they celebrate the Year of the Snake in spectacular style during their Lunar celebrations.
Join the exciting celebrations with live entertainment, lucky envelopes, lion dancing, Chinese firecrackers, and even a festive Lunar New Year Garden!
When: 18 January 2025 from 4 pm
Where: Griffith Park, 4A Olympic Parade, Bankstown
Cost: FREE entry
2. A Lunar New Year Banquet at Lilymu, Parramatta

Don't miss a sizzling celebration in Parramatta Square with Lunar New Year Feasting at Lilymu! From 25 January to 2 February, this vibrant Pan-Asian gem is pulling out all the stops with a delicious special Lunar New Year Banquet. This mouthwatering curated feast is a dream for foodies, taking you on a flavour-packed journey to ring in the Year of the Snake in style. Check out the full banquet menu.
Each guest will also receive a traditional Red Pocket, sweetened with a $20 dining voucher for your next visit, and to top it all off, the festivities will come alive with two spectacular lion dance performances on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 February at 12 pm. It’s the perfect way to soak up the joyous energy of the Lunar New Year with family and friends.
Make your reservation now and get ready for a celebration that’s bursting with flavour, fun, and festive spirit!
When: From 25 January to 2 February 2025
Where: 3 Parramatta Square, 153 Macquarie St, Parramatta
Cost: $108 pp for the Lunar New Year Banquet
3. Celebrate Year of the Snake at Lucky Prawn

Slither into the Year of the Snake with a feast of flavours and festivities at The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre's Lucky Prawn Chinese Restaurant. From 29 January to 1 February, Lucky Prawn will serve up a special Lunar New Year banquet that’s a mouthwatering tribute to the season. Think Prawn Toast, Prawn Wontons, XO Pippies, and Snake Beans. And if you're craving Cantonese classics, don’t miss their beloved Yum Cha!
Adding to the festive magic, the Jin Wu Koon Lion Dancers will perform on Thursday 30 January at 7 pm and Sunday 2 February at 3 pm. Their lively drumming, cymbals, and acrobatic lion dance will bring blessings of good luck and fortune to all. Book now!
When: From 29 January to 2 February 2025
Where: The Lucky Prawn @ The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre, Marrickville
Cost: $89 pp for the Lunar New Year Banquet
4. Chatswood Year of the Snake Festival

For three weeks, Chatswood will be bursting with exciting new events and familiar favourites at their annual Chinese New Year festival. A feast of food and culture, art installations, performances, and the always-popular Lantern Parade are set to return this year. Stay tuned for more details!
When: 23 January to 16 February 2025
Where: Chatswood Concourse
Cost: FREE entry
5. Traditional Lion Dancing

Immerse yourself in the vibrant Lunar parade featuring traditional lion and dragon dances, exciting collaborations with local businesses, and community performers as they transform George Street into a Lunar wonderland!
This event is all about fostering community bonds, cultural exchange, and showcasing the lively spirit of the Chinese New Year.
When: From 30 January to 16 February 2025
Where: Multiple spots along George Street - check the lineup
Cost: FREE
6. Sydney Lunar Streets

One of our top picks to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Sydney is at Sydney Lunar Streets—Haymarket street festival.
The streets of Haymarket will come alive with live entertainment, roving performers, food trucks, market stalls, DJs, and plenty of performances from Sydney's Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese community groups, including Chinese Youth League, S2 Dance Studio, Nusantara Sydney Dance, and MCA Art Group.
It really is an unmissable event in the festive calendar!
When: 1 February 2025 from 5-10 pm
Where: Dixon Street, Haymarket
Cost: FREE
7. Lunar New Year in Parramatta

Celebrate the Year of the Snake in style with a bustling lineup of events in Parramatta.
Parramatta Square and Centenary Square will be buzzing with festive family fun, including lion dancing, cultural workshops, Chinese horoscope readings, street food markets, K-Pop dance performances, roving performers, immersive game boxes, and plenty more to usher in the Year of the Snake.
Where: Parramatta Square and Centenary Square
When: 1 February 2025 from 4-9 pm
Cost: FREE entry
8. Lunar New Year at Chang Lai Yuan Chinese Gardens

Join the vibrant Lunar New Year celebrations at Chang Lai Yuan Chinese Gardens in Nurragingy Reserve, where a tapestry of colour and culture will unfold to welcome the Year of the Snake.
This family-friendly event promises an evening brimming with cultural richness and entertainment, including lion dances and energetic drumming sessions, enchanting dragon dance performances, a variety of live cultural acts across two stages, engaging kids' craft workshops, complimentary face painting for children, interactive cultural workshops and live demonstrations, an array of food and market stalls offering a taste of tradition, and a dazzling fireworks display to conclude the evening.
When: 7 February 2025 from 4-9 pm
Where: Nurragingy Reserve, Knox Road, Doonside
Cost: FREE
9. Sydney Lunar Spectacular

One of the best Chinese New Year activities for kids—community and cultural groups are gearing up to shine on stage at this year's Sydney Lunar Spectacular show, celebrating the Year of the Snake.
Get ready to be captivated as performers bring their rich cultures to life through vibrant dance, music, theatre, cherished traditions, and engaging storytelling. It's a celebration of diversity and creativity that promises to leave you inspired and thoroughly entertained!
When: 8 February 2025 from 2-6 pm
Where: Centennial Hall, 483 George Street
Cost: FREE
10. Eastwood Festival

The annual Eastwood Lunar New Year Festival extravaganza is back this year with lion dancing, an outdoor cinema, food trucks, entertainment, kids' activities and plenty more - mark your calendars!
When: 8 February 2025 from 4-9 pm
Where: Eastwood Town Centre
Cost: FREE entry
11. Lunar Sea at the Australian National Maritime Museum

Delight in a Lunar New Year extravaganza filled with performances, art, workshops, and activities taking place every weekend at the Australian National Maritime Museum.
Sponsored by the China Cultural Centre, Lunar Sea at the Sea Museum is a full day of FREE activities for families, including lantern workshops, traditional ink-painting, lion dancing, tea tasting, mandarin language tours, activity trails, face painting, and more.
It's a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in the festive spirit with a variety of entertaining and enriching experiences!
When: 9 February 2025 from 11 am to 4 pm
Where: Australian National Maritime Museum
Cost: FREE
12. Dragon Boat Races at Cockle Bay Wharf

Indulge in a spot of Dragon Boat Racing at Cockle Bay Wharf this Lunar New Year, and enjoy traditions such as the Taoist Monks' blessing of the waters, and a unique eye dotting ceremony that's said to awaken the dragons.
Paddlers churn the water as spectators watch the 12-metre-long dragon boats battle it out for victory in one of the best Chinese New Year activities for kids in Sydney!
When: TBA for 2025
Where: Darling Park, Cockle Bay Wharf
Cost: FREE
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