Lunar New Year is upon us, and the celebrations in Brisbane are in full swing. This year, Lunar New Year takes place on Saturday, February 10, and there’s a slew of cool things to do around Brisbane to celebrate the Year of the Dragon, from traditional lion dances, colourful festivals and more.
BrisAsia Festival
The 2024 edition of BrisAsia Festival is packed with events and experiences, uniting over 500 artists and creatives for three weeks until February 18. You can expect to find everything from Lunar New Year celebrations to street parties, authentic eats, live performances, dance parties, workshops, comedy, and more across multiple Brisbane locations.
BrisAsia ParTEA
BrisAsia ParTEA is one BrisAsia event not to be missed. Popping up at Chinatown Mall on Saturday, February 10, this party is a perfect chance to become immersed in the many different ways we make and drink tea.
Awakening
Become mesmerised at this live concert set against a backdrop of curated imagery from the Cosmic Skydome at Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium.
The unique cross-cultural event will touch on three unique perspectives from Indigenous artist and musician Glenn Barry, ethereal sound healer and Crystal Armonica artist Chiho Kagawa and renowned Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal as they showcase the theme of Awakening.
Lunar New Year Rooftop Party
The following week, on Saturday, February 17, you can dance to live music, watch lion and dragon dances, and eat until your heart’s content at the Lunar New Year Rooftop Party, which is set to take place at Sunnybank Plaza.
Departure at Museum of Brisbane
Their exhibition Departure explores the migrant experience, with crowd-sourced family photographs crafted into paper kites. The pieces share the emotions of taking a leap into the unknown and letting the wind carry you.
Delicious dining
Stanley
Riverside dining gem Stanley has launched their Chinese New Year menu, which comes with a delectable selection of Cantonese dishes that can be added to any of the current banquet menus or the traditional a la carte menu.
If you book for Friday, February 9 or Saturday, February 10 at 6.30pm or 8.30pm, you’ll get to see traditional lion dancers from your table.
Brisbane Quarter
The CBD’s Brisbane Quarter will come alive with Lunar New Year celebrations, with roving lion dances at 12.30pm and 6.30pm on Friday, February 9.
For two weeks, you can taste Brisbane Phoenix‘s Year of the Dragon Special Menu, which includes a la carte dishes including steamed Coral Trout with ginger and shallot, flaming Lobster, braised abalone and pan-fried M9 wagyu with Beluga caviar.
South Bank
You can also head to The Terrace at Emporium Hotel for a three-hour food and beverage package including an unlimited dim sum station, Mumm champagne, specialty cocktails, a traditional dragon dance performance and a live DJ.