Lunar New Year 2021 will be celebrated on February 12, and there are events taking place across the country, on this day, and in the weeks following.
However, due to pandemic guidelines, this year's festivities may look a little different than in years past, and many events have been cancelled.
In Sydney, some local councils, including Fairfield, Paramatta and Eastwood have cancelled their usual events, while others are pushing ahead.
Celebrations in Melbourne will be more subdued this year due to the pandemic, while Tasmania has cancelled Lunar New Year celebrations all together.
Festivities in Darwin wrapped on in the first week of February.
Sydney
The City of Sydney will be hosting around . Here are some of the highlights:
The Rocks Lunar Market
When: Feb 12-21, Friday to Saturday 10am-9pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm
Where: Playfair St, The Rocks NSW 2000
These socially-distanced market in the heart of Sydney's iconic Rocks precinct will feature the sights, scents and sounds you'd expect to experience at a Lunar New Year market.
There will be live music, bright red lanterns, festoon lighting and an Ox in a China shop display in Kendall Lane.
The market will also feature free calligraphy making, free mahjong and Chinese Zodiac readings from 11am -2pm at The Rocks Square.
Lunar Lantern
When: Feb 12- 21, every day, all day
As one of the showpiece events of the Sydney Lunar Festival, Lunar Lanterns is an interactive walk featuring 12 larger-than-life animal signs of the Lunar Zodiac from Circular Quay to Haymarket.
The creative and contemporary interpretations of a centuries-old tradition are blended with modern technology with classic Chinese techniques as these lanterns light up Sydney’s harbour.
The Lunar Lanterns walk is a free, self-guided tour, with information available via the app.
Lunar Spectacular Show
When: Saturday, Feb 13, 11am-noon, 1:30pm-2:30 pm, 4pm-5pm
Where: Sydney Town Hall, 438 George Street
A number of community and cultural groups are set to take the stage for this event to celebrate Lunar New Year.
Performers will share their culture through dance, music, theatre, traditions and storytelling. The program will feature a number of community groups from the Chinese, Korean, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Malaysian and Indonesian diasporas.
Bookings are essential. More information is available .
Lunar New Year at the Chinese Garden of Friendship
When: Feb 12-21
Where: Chinese Garden of Friendship, Pier street, Darling Harbour
A Chinese astrologer will conduct personalised Chinese horoscope readings over the duration of this event.
A range of interactive workshops, including include crafts for children, tea tasting, calligraphy lessons and Chinese brush painting will also take place at the garden.
Year of the Ox Festival in Chatswood
When: Feb 3-28
Where: Chatswood town centre
Willoughby Council is running a number of events as part of the festival, including:
Chinese New Year Cultural Celebration Concert (February 20): This event at The Concourse Theatre will feature artists from the Sydney Conservatory of Music as well as martial arts performances, traditional lion dance performances, Chinese folk music, classical music and modern dance.
Lunar New Year Comedy (February 27): This event will include two 75-minute performances, bringing together outstanding Asian-Australian performers comedians including Michael Hing and Diana Nguyen, Lawrence Leung, Lizzy Hoo and the impromptu duo Follow.
Precious Treasures Art Exhibition (February 3-28): This cross-cultural exhibition is hosted at the Incinerator Art Space in Willoughby, and features top Australian artists.
Gold Market (every Thursday and Friday from 9am-9pm): Chatswood Mall will be transformed for this event, where stalls will sell flowers, lucky bamboos, decorations and New Year delicacies.
Lunar New Year celebrations in Canterbury-Bankstown
When: Feb 7 to Feb 14
Where: Various locations in the Canterbury-Bankstown area
Ox/dragon/lion lantern large scale (Feb 7-14): A large scale lantern will be set up at Saigon Place, Bankstown.
Themed decor (Feb 4-14): Lanterns and bunting will be on display all around Bankstown and Campsie town centres.
Lion dance performances (Feb 12, 1pm to 3pm): There will be a roaming display of the lion dance as opposed to static displays to avoid mass gatherings.
Lunar Market (Feb 5, 5pm-9pm): There will be a noodle market, acoustic and roving entertainment, lunar packs for the kids, firecrackers, lion and dragon dances.
Good Taste Festival
When: Feb 12-27
Where: Various locations across Hurstville
Little Lunar (Friday, Feb 19, 5:30pm-9pm: This is a free evening event to showcase the diverse ways in which Asian cultures celebrate this special time of year. It will be hosted at Hurstville Plaza, 294 Forest Rd, Hurstville.
Taste of Lunar New Year tours (12 Feb, 11am): Multiple dates starting from New Year's Day.
Melbourne
The City of Melbourne will host a . Here are a few highlights from the program:
Lunar New Year in Victoria Market
When: Feb 14, 10am-4pm
Where: Queen Victoria Market
This event will showcase authentic street food, live music, a spectacular lion dance, traditional Chinese drumming and kid's activities.
Lunar New Year Dragon Boat Festival
When: Saturday, Feb 13 and Sunday, Feb 14, 10am-3pm
Where: Harbour Esplanade, Victoria Harbour Promenade, Docklands
This free event will feature dragon boat racing along a 200-metre course, as well as a dragon boat tug-of-war, a lion and dragon dancing feature and food trucks.
Chinese New Year at the Chinese Museum
When: Feb 14, 11am-5pm
Where: Chinese Museum, 22 Cohen Place, Melbourne
Celebrate the Year of the Ox, by visiting the Chinese Museum for free on Sunday. COVID-19 protocols mean that the regular dragon dance performance will not take place.
Brisbane
BrisAsia Festival
When: Feb 13, 4pm-9pm
Where: Fortitude Valley’s Chinatown Mall
Experience Lunar New Year in the heart of Fortitude Valley and enjoy the unique flavours and vibrant culture that Chinatown has to offer.
Book a table at your favourite venue and enjoy the roving entertainment, including lion dances and Japanese drumming, to welcome the Year of the Ox in the Chinatown Mall and other venues in the Valley precinct.
Adelaide
Chinese New Year Concert
When: Feb 13, from 5pm
Duration: 75 minutes
Where: Adelaide Festival Centre, Dunstan Playhouse
The concert features mostly original music and work, composed by local musicians Zhao Liang, Satomi Ohnishi, Joel Ang, David Dai and Xuting Zhao. The repertoire will also deliver new arrangements of some popular folk songs,including a jazzed-up Kang Ding Qing Ge (康定情歌), and Flowing River (小河淌水) that feature a crossing of melodies between cello and erhu.
2021 Chinese New Year Party
When: Feb 12, 6pm–7:30pm
Where: dwell East End Adelaide, 12-18 Synagogue Place, Adelaide
Lunar New Year Street Party 2021
When: Feb 20, noon-9pm
Where: Chinatown Adelaide Precinct, Gouger St
This is an annual community event featuring many exhibitors and entertainers from a wide variety of Asian cultures.
Perth
Perth Chinese New Year Fair 2021
When: Feb 14, noon-9pm
Where: Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge
This event is free and open to the public to share the joy of Chinese culture and customs as well as celebrating the diversity of the Western Australian community. The fair will open with firecrackers and a lion dance performance.
Lunar New Year at Crown
When: Feb 9-21
Where: Perth Crown Casino, Great Eastern Hwy, Burswood
There are a number of events taking place, including a dragon dance performance on Feb 11 from 6pm and an opening ceremony on Feb 12 from 6.30pm.
Canberra
There will a number of events held across Australia's capital, including a Lunar New Year festival at the Sakyamuni Buddhist Centre in Lyneham on Feb 11, a traditional dragon and lion dance parade at Canberra Centre on Feb 13 at 11am and a Lantern Festival in Lennox Gardens on Saturday, Feb 27, 6pm-8.30pm.
