Many Australians celebrate Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year. It marks the first day of the New Year in the Chinese calendar. Is Lunar New Year a Public Holiday? Lunar New Year 2025 is a state holiday in Christmas Island and an observance in 10 territories. In 2025, the first day of Lunar New Year is 29 January and is the beginning of the Year of the Snake. Lunar New Year in 2026 begins on 17 February, ushering in the Year of the Horse. When is 2024 Lunar New Year and where can you celebrate it in Australia? Lunar New Year celebrations are being held around Australia this month as Chinese and other Asian communities welcome the year of the dragon. A variety of events are running across the roughly two-week-long festival, from street markets to dragon boat festivals and concerts. Here are a few key things you should know about Lunar New Year, as well as where you can celebrate it in Australia. When is Lunar New Year in Australia 2024? Lunar New Year starts on the first new moon of the year and ends with the first full moon, and is based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. How is the Lunar New Year celebrated in Australia? Lunar New Year festivities include various events such as parades, food, dragon dances, and traditional customs. Some of these events are listed in the next section. As the country celebrates the Year of the Dragon, SBS will be there. Events across Australia will see participation from the SBS Chinese, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, and Vietnamese teams. 🕔 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM. 🎇 Sunshine Lunar New Year 2024. 📌 Hampshire Road, Sunshine (Naarm), Victoria. Here is our guide on where to celebrate this special occasion around Australia. Lunar New Year 2024 falls on 10 February when the Year of the Dragon begins. In Australia, many nationalities join in the festivities by heading out to restaurants to feast on ‘lucky food’ over the 16-day event. In 2023, January 22 marks the beginning of Lunar New Year. The celebration will end on February 5, with the Lantern Festival. Lunar New Year celebrations lasts for 15 days and end when the full moon appears. (Reuters: Athit Perawongmetha) Is Lunar New Year the same as Chinese New Year? We're celebrating the Year of the Ox in 2021 with newly uncovered footage of Lunar New Year celebrations dating back to 1937. Outside of Asia, Australia holds some of the biggest Lunar New Year celebrations in the world. "Lunar New Year", also known as the "Spring Festival", has become a significant part of Australian culture. The celebration is so popular that Sydney's version is considered the largest outside Asia. The Lunar New Year is a significant cultural holiday celebrated in China and other East Asian countries. Lunar New Year is not a nationwide public holiday in Australia. However, some Chinese businesses may be closed on the day or amend their business hours to take part in the Lunar New Year festivities. There may be heavy traffic and some streets may be closed in towns or cities where Lunar New Year celebrations are held. Footnote 5 Tourism Australia even lists Lunar New Year as part of Australia’s ‘Biggest Parties and Celebrations’, Footnote 6 with Sydney’s Lunar festivities ‘usually attract[ing] up to 1.5 million visitors, making it the largest event of its kind outside of Asia’. Lunar New Year is fast approaching — this year, the festivities fall on January 22. Around the world and in various cultures, Lunar New Year symbolises fresh beginnings (often marking the Australia’s Lunar New Year celebrations are vibrant, drawing together Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese communities across major cities for dragon dances, firecrackers, food markets, and live performances. The 2025 celebration marks the Year of the Snake, a symbol of wisdom, renewal, abundance, and pr One of Australia's seven external territories, Christmas Island — which sits off the coast of Western Australia — is the nation's only jurisdiction to mark Lunar New Year with a public holiday. In Australia, the event is commonly referred to as “Lunar New Year” to signal that it embraces other Asian communities that have made significant contributions to Australian society. The Lunar New Year is an excellent opportunity to learn about and appreciate the rich traditions of Asian cultures, whether you are of Asian descent or are just curious about this significant holiday. The following table contains a calendar of all Lunar New Year day from 2023 to 2026. Lunar New Year celebrations lasts for 15 days and ends when the full moon appears. (Pexels: Henry & Co)The date varies from year to year as it follows the cycle of the moon, but the auspicious Sydney Lunar New Year Dragon Boat Festival 2024 OFFICIAL INVITATION. On behalf of Dragon Boats NSW ("DBNSW"), we invite you to participate in the 2024 Sydney Lunar New Year Dragon Boat Festival, to be held at Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia from 16th to 18th February 2024. The festival will be hosted and organised by Dragon Boats NSW. Set of 2 limited edition Gran Lungo cups adorned with beautiful floral designs for the Lunar New Year. Comes with free chopsticks. The cups are made of red glossy porcelain, adding a touch of elegance and festivity to your coffee experience.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.