Best Ways to Celebrate Chinese New Year Around the World

It’s the year of the Rooster and we’ve got some of the best ways to celebrate Chinese New Year around the world. And, after the year of the Monkey – and boy, was 2016 a year of so much of the world monkeying around, we’re glad to herald the king of henhouse!

But 2017 is not just the year of any old Rooster, it is the year of the Fire Rooster. There will be a greater emphasis on moving forward, as the rooster is responsible for waking up the world every morning!

With that, we celebrate the year of the Rooster as one of moving forward with our travel plans and bucket lists. We start off the New Year in Hong Kong, where, like the city itself, are steeped in tradition with a modern twist and a forward-thinking attitude.

Hong Kong

No matter what animal sign you might be in the Chinese Zodiac, lucky is the visitor who is in Hong Kong during Chinese New Year, the city’s biggest and most colourful festival! From 22 January to 12 February it will be impossible not to be caught up in the excitement and the traditions, say our friends at the Hong Kong Tourism Board. On the big night itself, this year falling on January 28, there’s the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade followed by one of the world’s most spectacular fireworks displays. For sports enthusiasts and horse-lovers, Hong Kong’s racetracks will be a flurry of hoof-pounding action. And then, of course, there’s the food. Hong Kong is a gourmet and street food lover’s delight.

Stay: Cordis Hong Kong at Langham Place. The hotel itself is a Chinese art gallery – with a collection of sculptures and paintings that would rival the local art museum – and home away from home all in one.

England

London: 29 January 2017

The Chinese New Year festivities in Central London are free to attend and take place in Trafalgar Square, above, Chinatown and across the West End. Celebrate the Year of the Rooster in London, with the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations outside Asia. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people descend on the West End to wish each other “Xin Nian Kuai Le” (Happy New Year in Mandarin) or “San Nin Faai Lok” (in Cantonese). If you miss it, the Magical Lantern Festival at Chiswick House and Gardens runs to 26 February 2017 with spectacular light installations and hand-made lanterns in the shape of animals and plants, on an enchanting walk through Chiswick House’s famous gardens. www.visitlondon.com

Stay: The May Fair, located in the historic London neighbourhood of Mayfair, and which is an easy stroll to Chinatown near SoHo, a brisk walk to the West End and a quick tube ride to Trafalgar Square. Experience the innovative cuisine of the May Fair Kitchen, where chef has created a tapas style menu where Spanish and Italian small plates make for Mediterranean fare for all palates and tastes.

Toronto

In Toronto, citizens have the good fortune of not one, not two, but at least three Chinatowns in the core of the city and around the GTA. www.seetorontonow.com

But, if gala-going or the theatre is your thing, why not get tickets for the CNTV Chinese New Year Gala 2017: It’s the largest and the costliest extravaganza for the Chinese Community and with the blessings from the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic Of China in Toronto, we are able to gather together over eight hundreds of elite artists from Mainland China and Canada to perform in this most preeminent social networking event of the Chinese community in the year.

New York

“With the largest Chinese population in the United States, New York City offers no shortage of authentic and celebratory experiences in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens,” said Fred Dixon, NYC & Company president and CEO. “From festive fireworks and parades, to some of the world’s best dim sum, to a multitude of cultural organizations, NYC is the ideal place to celebrate this Lunar New Year.”

In Manhattan, experience why so many New Yorkers and visitors head to Chinatown. From 11am-3:30pm on January 28, Chinese New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival takes place in Sara D. Roosevelt Park.

The 18th Annual New York City Lunar New Year Parade & Festival takes place on February 5, with the parade kicking off at 1pm. Jing Fong is a traditional Cantonese restaurant offering dim sum; Joe’s Shanghai’s extensive menu includes their famed soup dumplings; and Nom Wah Tea Parlor is NYC’s oldest dim sum parlor.