New York City Lunar New Year Parade 2023: where and when event begins, start location, route and other events

Manhattan’s Chinatown Lunar New Year parade will be taking place once again in 2023
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

New York City will welcome in the Lunar New Year in style with the annual parade.

The event will take place in Manhattan’s Chinatown and will help to welcome in the Year of the Rabbit. Vistors can expect to see spectacular dragon dances, stunning outfits and music.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

New Yorkers will be celebrating the start of the new lunar year, which came to an end on Saturday (21 January). The Manhattan parade will not be the only event taking place in the city.

Here is all you need to know:

When is the Lunar New Year Parade in NYC?

Chinese New Year celebrates the start of a new lunar year and it falls on Sunday 22 January in 2023. It follows the end of the Year of the Tiger, which ran from Monday 31 January 2022 until Saturday 21 January this year.

The parade in Manhattan’s Chinatown will take place on Sunday (12 February). The next lunar year will then run until Friday 9 February 2024, meaning Chinese New Year 2024 will be held on Saturday 10 February 2024.

While solar calendars are in popular and legal usage across much of the world, many people in China and South East Asia follow the more traditional lunar calendar. Whereas solar calendars are based on the earth’s passage around the sun, lunar ones base their timings off the different phases of the moon.

Lunar New Year parade in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Lunar New Year parade in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Lunar New Year parade in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Where does the Lunar New Year Parade start?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The parade will begin at 1pm EST, according to Better Chinatown. The route is as follows: “Mott & Canal to Chatham Square to East Broadway towards the Manhattan Bridge, completing on Eldridge and Forsyth Streets towards Grand Street next to Sara D. Roosevelt Park.”

It is the 25th edition of the Chinese New Year Parade in Manhattan. The first event took place in 1998.

Can you take part in the parade?

Better Chinatown explains on its website: “No entrance fees for non-profits, community organizations, and marching bands.” Download, complete, and return the parade registration form to [email protected].

The website says: “We will evaluate your request and get back to you shortly.” Hundreds of volunteers also take part in the parade each year.

What other Lunar New Year events are taking place in New York?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

If you can’t make it to the parade on Sunday (12 February), there are a number of other events taking place across the city. Including:

This Is Home - photo exhibition

On its website, Flushing Town Hall explains: “This Is Home tells stories of the AAPI community in New York City and abroad: how they live, work, love, and when needed, stand up for what they believe. While the Lunar New Year is a celebration of renewal with hearts full of hope for health and prosperity in the year ahead, the photographers exhibited here show there is also beauty in the daily lives of this community, in the city they call home.”

It is open between Saturday, 21 January, and Sunday, February 26. The opening hours are 12pm to 5pm every day.

The photographers featured in the exhibition are as follows:

  • Janice Chung
  • Cindy Trinh
  • An Rong Xu
Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.