8 ways to celebrate Lunar New Year in Greater Boston

The Year of the Dragon is almost upon us, and on Feb. 10, many will be ringing in Lunar New Year. The holiday is traditionally celebrated in China and other Asian countries, and last year, Boston decided to designate Lunar New Year as an official city holiday. Many believe that 2024 will be a bold and lucky year, a time for fortune, opportunities and prosperity. In the Greater Boston area, there’s no shortage of festivals, arts events and cultural engagements that you can participate in to honor Lunar New Year, and we’ve rounded up some of the highlights. See our guide below to find a way to celebrate.

South Boston’s Mei Mei Dumplings will be hosting a double feature on Feb. 10: the eatery will celebrate Lunar New Year and its one-year anniversary. Activities will include noodle pulling, dumpling making, preparing congee and creating lanterns. A lion dance will be performed by martial artist Mai Du and her team, and a “baby lions” dance starring children from Du’s group will also take place. The event is rounded out with special cocktails and “dumpling-themed” raffles and prizes.

Salem’s Peabody Essex Museum will honor Lunar New Year with a festival on Feb. 10. During the day, visitors can enjoy Chinese folktales, make dragon paper puppets and watch a performance from Gund Kwok, the first all-Asian women’s lion and dragon and dance troupe in the country. There will also be live music from the Chinese Traditional Music Club at Berklee College of Music, as well as a Chinese shadow puppet workshop. The museum will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of “Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese Home,” a 16-bedroom house that was built in China’s Huizhou region in the 18th century and moved to PEM’s campus in the 1990s.

Led by 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist Tracy Chang, Cambridge restaurant Pagu will be hosting a special Lunar New Year lunch and dinner on Feb. 10 and 11. You’ll be able to watch local lion dancers perform while savoring some special dishes, including egg rolls, Taiwanese beef noodle soup, kabocha mochi a la plantxa, and a few surprises that have not yet been revealed.

Drop by New Art Center in Newton on Feb. 11 for a day of free art-making that families can enjoy. Cartoonist and illustrator Nell Valle will serve as emcee, overseeing the series of performances and activities. The Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association Music Ensemble and the Boston Academy of Korean Traditional Art will perform, and there will be dance demonstrations from the Newton Chinese School. Valle’s coloring pages will also be on hand for children, and Ren Li Song will give a calligraphy presentation.

The Chinatown cultural touchstone Pao Arts Center will host an elegant reception with live music on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Small plates and cocktails from Shojo Boston will be offered and guests can explore exhibits such as “Lunchbox Moments,” which shares stories about eating an Asian meal while at school. Visitors can also take in “Chinatown Workers Statues: A Statue in the Making,” which pays tribute “to the workers who have uplifted Boston Chinatown through their essential labor,” according to Pao’s website. You may also want to return on Sunday, Feb. 18 for a Lunar New Year Celebration, a signature annual showcase of performances and hands-on activities, which includes dragon puppet making, paper cutting and shadow puppet demonstrations as well as dances from the Tibetan Association of Boston.

On Thursday, Feb. 15, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will honor Lunar New Year by inviting visitors to view Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese art, with a $5 minimum, pay-what-you-will admission fee starting at 5 p.m. The museum will host a Chinese brush painting activity, a demonstration from the Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy and a Sebae and Hanbok demo, during which attendees will learn about the ritual of bowing to elders and have an opportunity to try on a traditional Korean dress. To see a range of other events that will be taking place that day, visit the MFA’s website.

Head over to the China Trade Center on Sunday, Feb. 18 to attend Chinatown Main Street’s Lunar New Year Cultural Village. The event will feature arts and crafts specializing in Lunar New Year decorations, calligraphy, live dance performances, various dough sculptures representing Chinese zodiac animals, and more. The event kicks off at 10 a.m. and is free and open to the public.

The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England will organize a procession through the streets of Chinatown, starting at Phillips Square on Sunday, Feb. 18 and featuring nine lion dance troupes. The kick-off ceremony begins at 10 a.m. Troupes will play cymbals, drums and gongs and will follow different routes around Chinatown, ending in separate locations. Business owners will provide oranges and lettuce as part of the parade, and spectators are encouraged to enjoy the performances while exploring the neighborhood. There will be a Culture Village for children held at CCBA’s 90 Tyler St. location with folk art-making and calligraphy.