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Lunar New Year celebration at the Bellevue Collection. Photo: Chance Merchant
Happy Lunar New Year! The Year of the Horse gallops in on Tuesday, Feb. 17, and celebrations mark the dawn of the new year with lion dances, delicious food, crafts and more. You won’t have to look far to find an event that suits your crew — festivities are taking place all across our region and lasting throughout February and into March, so your family can celebrate for weeks. All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Happy New Year to all!
Tết in the Park and Market
Date and time: Saturday, Feb. 7, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Catch a kung fu performance by Mak Fai and shop a vendor marketplace full of themed items at Friends of Little Sài Gòn’s Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration in Seattle’s Hoa Mai Park.
Asian Spring Festival Celebration
Date and time: Saturday, Feb. 7; afternoon event, noon–5 p.m.; evening gala, 6–9 p.m.
It’s a double dose of Lunar New Year festivities celebrating Chinese culture and traditions at Kirkland Pursuit. Games, prizes and performances provide an afternoon of family-friendly fun, followed by an evening gala with performances by Chinese artists. Tickets start at $30 with discount pricing available. Ages 3 and younger are free.
Lunar New Year Events, Crafts and Story Time at King County Libraries
Date: Various dates, Feb. 8–21
Listen to stories, get crafty, sing with your neighbors and watch a lion dance at a Lunar New Year event taking place at one of many King County library branches, including Newport Way, Bothell, Renton, Renton Highlands and Redmond.
Mercer Island Lunar New Year Celebration
Date and time: Sunday, Feb. 8, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Kick off the Year of the Horse at this festive, family-friendly event at the Mercer Island Community Center and Event Center. Kids can make lantern crafts and play games. There will also be traditional performances and a festive photo booth.
Lunar New Year Celebration at Jefferson Community Center
Date and time: Friday, Feb. 13, 5–7 p.m.
Join your friends and neighbors at Seattle’s Jefferson Community Center to celebrate the Year of the Horse with fun activities, crafts and food.
Lunar New Year Festival at International District Community Center
Date and time: Friday, Feb. 13, 5–7 p.m.
Gather at the International District Community Center for an evening of free festivities. Enjoy a lion dance, Chinese opera, kung fu workshops, mahjong, calligraphy and more.
Tết in Seattle: Vietnamese Lunar New Year
Date and time: Saturday–Sunday, Feb. 14–15, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Part of the Seattle Center Festál series, Tết in Seattle is a community celebration of the Vietnamese New Year. Join to see how traditions from Vietnam mark the most important festival of the year. There will be six different lion dances, music performances, local food vendors, art and fashion shows and hands-on kids activities.
Celebrate Lunar New Year at Southcenter
Date and time: Saturday, Feb. 14, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
A fantastic line-up of entertainment is scheduled at Westfield Southcenter for its Lunar New Year celebration. You can expect lion and dragon dances and other cultural performances, as well as live music, martial arts, a fashion show and more.
Lunar New Year Gala at the University of Washington
When: Sunday, Feb. 15, 5:30–9 p.m.
The University of Washington Chinese Student Association invites the community to attend its annual Lunar New Year gala at Kane Hall. Spend a festive evening celebrating Chinese culture with lively performances, interactive fun and raffle prizes.
Tacoma’s mysterious Monkeyshines hunt
When: Around Tuesday, Feb. 17 (typically a week or so before and up to a week after)
Tacoma knows how to have fun with guerrilla art, and we’ve already heard: Monkeyshines will be hidden again this year in and around Tacoma. If you don’t live in Tacoma or haven’t heard about Monkeyshines, read up and you might just be tempted to wake up early and get in on the hunt. Pro tip: Search for Monkeyshines while you help tidy up Titlow Park at a clean-up event on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Lunar New Year with The Bellevue Collection
Date and time: Decorations and displays on view Feb. 17–March 1; live celebration Saturday, Feb. 21, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
The Bellevue Collection is known for its impressive annual Lunar New Year celebration. This year, the celebration takes place with a day-long schedule of performances and family-friendly activities, including dance, music, martial arts demos, and crafts for kids. Lunar New Year displays will be up until March 1.
Burien’s Lunar New Year Celebration
Date and time: Saturday, Feb. 21, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Head to the Burien Community Center for a morning filled with free Lunar New Year fun, from cultural performances and demonstrations to kids crafts and community connection.
Lunar New Year Family Celebration at Seattle Asian Art Museum
Date and time: Saturday, Feb. 21, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Story time, art and a live lion dance are all part of Seattle Asian Art Museum’s annual Lunar New Year event. This year, contribute to a community horse sculpture with local artist Monyee Chau that will be displayed in the museum. The outdoor lion dance is free, and all other activities are included with museum admission.
Lunar New Year at Pacific Place
Date and time: Saturday, Feb. 21, 3–5 p.m.
All ages are invited to create their own mini horse lantern and lucky horse keychains at Pacific Place shopping center in downtown Seattle. Mak Fai Kung Fu Club will also perform two exciting dances.
PhinneyWood Lunar New Year Celebration
Date and time: Saturday, Feb. 21, noon –4 p.m.
Join your North Seattle neighbors at Phinney Neighborhood Center for this free community celebration, which includes a lion dance performance, arts and crafts, and lantern decorating ($5).
Lunar New Year Celebration at the Village at Totem Lake
Date and time: Saturday, Feb. 21, 1–4 p.m.
Head over to the Village at Totem Lake in Kirkland to enjoy cultural performances and a lion dance, go on a Lunar New Year-themed scavenger hunt, make festive crafts and more.
Lunar New Year in the Lincoln District
Date and time: Sunday, Feb. 22, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Follow lion dancers as they weave their way through Tacoma’s Lincoln District, setting off firecrackers. Bring the whole family to this celebration of Asian culture and community and enjoy the pop-up marketplace and delicious eats.
Lunar New Year Celebration Across Downtown Seattle
Date and time: Sunday, Feb. 22, 1–3:30 p.m.
Catch a lion dance performance at three Seattle locations as performers make their way across downtown. Catch the action at Pioneer Park at 1 p.m., First and Pike at 2 p.m. and Bell Street Park at 3 p.m.
Asia Pacific Cultural Center’s New Year Celebration
When: Saturday, Feb. 28, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Bring the whole family to this annual Lunar New Year celebration organized by the Asia Pacific Cultural Center and held at the Tacoma Dome. Enjoy all kinds of fun cultural arts, live performances, eats and more. This year’s celebration features the customs of the host country, Cambodia.
Edmonds Lunar New Year Community Celebration
Date and time: Saturday, Feb. 28, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
This community Lunar New Year celebration held at the Edmonds Center for the Arts will include lively performances to help ring in the Year of the Horse including a lion dance, martial arts demonstrations, and breakdancers Massive Monkees.
Lunar New Year at Marketplace at Factoria
Date and time: Saturday, Feb. 28, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
It’s Lunar New Year fun for the whole family at Bellevue’s Marketplace at Factoria. Watch a shadow puppet show, lion dance, Chinese calligraphy demo, and fashion show, and sample traditional foods. Then preserve the memory with a photo taken with the pop-up Lunar New Year display or selfie spot.
Kirkland Lunar New Year Celebration
Date and time: Saturday, Feb. 28, 2–4 p.m.
Peter Kirk Community Center is the place to learn how Lunar New Year is traditionally celebrated through crafts, dance and cultural demonstrations. Plus, enjoy some delicious food!
Newcastle’s Lunar New Year Celebration
Date and time: Sunday, March 1, 1–4 p.m.
The City of Newcastle invites the community to Risdon Middle School to ring in the Year of the Horse with dragon and lion dances, a martial arts demo, drop-in arts and crafts, games, and food sampling for all ages.
Lantern Festival at Seattle Chinese Garden
Date and time: Saturday, March 7, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Seattle Chinese Garden welcomes visitors to celebrate the Year of the Horse at its annual Lantern Festival. Bring the whole family to learn more about this holiday and take part in all the fun activities from Chinese knot-tying to tea tasting and crafts.
Chinatown–International District Lunar New Year Celebration
Date and time: Saturday, March 7, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Lunar New Year in Seattle’s Chinatown–International District is the place for food and culture. Expect dancers prancing at Hing Hay Park’s main stage, cultural performances and a food walk serving up delicious eats during this all-day event.
ShoreLake Arts Lantern Festival and Lion Dance
Date and time: Saturday, March 14, 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Head to Shoreline Community College and make your own paper lantern at this Shoreline community event and celebrate Lunar New Year with a lion dance, kung fu demos, crafts and music. Donations welcome.
Lunar New Year reads for kidsLearn more about Lunar New Year traditions with these stories. 1. “Bringing in the New Year” by Grace Lin: Bright colors and simple text highlight the most important traditions of the New Year. 2. “This Next New Year” by Janet Wong: A young boy celebrates the Lunar New Year with all of his neighbors and friends. The book is cross-culturally inclusive and its message is universal: Everyone has dreams and hopes for a fresh start. 3. “A New Year’s Reunion” by Li-Qiong Yu: The book is set in China, where some parents have to leave their children to work in cities. This story has more words than the other two, as well as a twinge of sadness that you might have to explain to your child. |
Editor’s note: This article was originally published many years ago and was updated most recently on Feb. 5, 2026, by ParentMap’s calendar editor, Julie Dodobara, to include this year’s Lunar New Year events. JiaYing Grygiel and Devon Hammer contributed to this article.
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