Slideshow: 9 Best Places To Celebrate Chinese New Year Around The World
Spend the Chinese New Year in Bangkok's Chinatown visiting Wat Mangkon Kamalawat and watching the dragon parade. There will be plenty of firecrackers and shops selling red new year decorations. The Chinese New Year is not a public holiday in Thailand, so restaurants and stores operate on normal schedules.
Beijing
China's capital makes for a prime Chinese New Year experience if you have the opportunity to spend it there. In Beijing, the main and most important celebrations of the Chinese New Year are the traditional temple fairs. There are many fairs that take place during these two weeks, but two of the most popular ones are Ditan Park Temple Fair (the biggest) and Dongyue Temple Fair (Beijing's oldest). Traditional snacks, Chinese folk art performances, and flower shows are the main activities of these fairs.
Hong Kong
For a less traditional Chinese New Year than Beijing's, spend the new year in Hong Kong. A night parade with entertaining performances from jugglers to drummers will bring in the New Year on Jan. 28. Dragon dances and floats will be at the parade, but if you'd like to do any shopping or dining at the Temple Street Market, make sure to get that in before the parade begins since they'll probably be closed once it starts. On the 29th, you'll witness the 30-minute extravagant fireworks display accompanied by buildings' light shows.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
While other cities around the world plan huge parties for the new year, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has a more relaxed approach to the celebration. The people of Kuala Lumpur open their doors for family and friends to visit; they give traditional red envelopes as gifts; and they put on a variety of lion parades throughout the city. While there you'll see lanterns and decorations abound, adding to the joyous atmosphere. You'll also see plenty of plenty of people playing cards, as that is one of their favorite pastimes during the holiday.
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New York City
Celebrate the new year once more in New York City. Kick off the Chinese New Year on Jan. 28 with the Firecracker Ceremony and Parade in Chinatown. Chow down on some Chinese food as you watch the lion dancers in the festival, along with other performers doing martial arts and acrobatics. The celebrations will continue into Jan. 29, with a parade from Madison Street to Madison Avenue, and then another parade on Feb. 5.
San Francisco
San Francisco's Chinese New Year Parade is one of the largest outside of Asia. Costumes, lion dancers, elaborate floats, and acrobatics are just a handful of things you'll get to see and experience during the parade. The event also features a Miss Chinatown USA competition; and don't try to skip out early or else you'll miss the grand finale of the 200-foot-long Golden Dragon with more than 600,000 firecrackers being set off around it.
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Singapore
Spend Chinese New Year in Singapore this year with a countdown to midnight on Jan. 27 in Chinatown. View the elaborate decorations being sold on the streets leading up to the exciting fireworks display at midnight. Since it's the Year of the Rooster, expect to see sculptured lanterns of roosters. There will be live performances and the annual Chingay Parade to end the festivities on Feb. 10 and 11.
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Taipei, Taiwan
To experience an enchanting lantern festival, visit the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in Taipei, Taiwan, on Feb. 11. Write your wishes on the sky lantern to share with the gods as it flies away. Flowers are a symbolic tradition for Chinese New Year, so the city will be decorated with flowers such as the water narcissus and plum blossom. While in Taipei, be sure to peruse the largest night market, Shilin Night Market, and grab some stinky tofu or stuffed buns while you're there.
Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver's Chinatown will have its Chinese New Year's parade on Jan. 29. The parade will include the traditional performances by lion dancers and bands. Chinatown, Vancouver also participates in the Year of the Rooster Temple Fair at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Here you'll be able to immerse yourself in the traditions of the fair through eating and decorating. If you want to join the masses, head to the International Buddhist Temple on the eve of Chinese New Year (the evening of Jan. 27) to count down to midnight.