Where to Celebrate Chinese New Year This Weekend
Ring in the Year of the Rat with these special Chinese and Lunar New Year celebrations: make puppets with the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, dumplings with MOLD Magazine, indulge in multi-course feasts at Mission Chinese – so much happening in the coming week. Whatever you prefer, there are plenty of ways to celebrate (and eat) your way into the new Lunar year which begins on January 25th.
Celebrate
Parade and Festival
Brooklyn’s New Year festivities will be held in Sunset Park this Saturday, January 25th. Show up to 8th Ave and 50th street around 10:00 am, to get the best view of the performances, music, and dances.
More information can be found here.
Brooklyn Children’s Museum Lunar New Year
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum is hosting all-day festivities to celebrate the Year of the Rat. The day will start at 11:00 am with a paper cherry blossom workshop. Later, join them to make a dragon puppet, and at the end of the day, parade through the museum with the Chinatown Young Lions.
More information and schedule can be found here.
Brooklyn Celebrates the Year of the Rat
Ring in the New Year at Borough Hall on February 7th. Festivities will go from 6:00 pm-9:00 pm and are being held by Borough President Eric Adams.
More information and RSVP can be found here.
Lunar Zoo Year
The Prospect Park Zoo keeps the New Year’s festivities going for the whole month of February with the Lunar Zoo Year. Join them each weekend for a zodiac scavenger hunt and an introduction to the Eurasian Harvest Mouse— “one of the tiniest rodents in the world,” they say.
More information can be found here.
Eat
This Queer Kitchen
This Queer Kitchen is hosting a dinner for the New Year. Food will be provided by a variety of chefs, including Moonlynn Tsai of Kopitiam and Gemma Kamin-Korn of Bar Beau, where the dinner will be hosted. There will also be a raffle featuring items from Kopitiam, 886, GRLSQUASH, and others. The meal served will be a vegetarian-friendly, six-courses family-style, along with drinks. A portion of the profits will go to benefit Apex for Youth.
More information and tickets can be found here.
MOLD Magazine Presents: Chinese New Year Dumpling Workshop
LinYee Yuan, of MOLD Magazine, will be hosting a dumpling workshop for Chinese New Year in Bushwick. Join neighbors as they create a collage of items for the New Year and participate in a discussion about what food means for this traditional feast.
More information and tickets can be found here.
Mission Chinese
Mission Chinese Food in Bushwick will be ringing in the Year of the Rat with a series of three tasting menus. The menus, which start at $38, include dishes like forbidden rice, cabbage salad, and mapo.
Reservations can be made here.
Win Son
This celebration features several DJ sets and will start at 11:59pm. A suggested donation of $5 per person will be taken to benefit Apex for Youth. Before the party, stop by Win Son for dinner and to get your sesame noodles fix.
Extras
In addition to those with formal celebrations, we would be remiss not to mention some of our other favorite spots for Chinese food in our Borough. Enjoy a meal at one of these restaurants, and ring in the Year of the Rat right.
Birds of a Feather
191 Grand Street, between Driggs and Bedford avenues.
This Williamsburg spot is celebrating Chinese New Year with a special dish of pickled vegetables with pig’s feet. You can also try their sichuan cold noodles, house made dim sum, or winter melon soup, all washed down with one of their sakes.
East Wind Snack Shop
Multiple locations.
Try East Wind Snack Shop’s dumplings at one of their Brooklyn locations. You can also sample dishes like Hong Kong hot cakes, bubble tea, and egg drop. Finish off your meal with their special Dragon’s Beard hand-pulled cotton candy.
Mama’s Noodle House
1782 Bay Ridge Avenue, between 17th and 18th Avenues.
At this Bay Ridge restaurant you can enjoy different hot pots, noodles, and noodle soups. Try to snag one of the few tables inside the restaurant, or take your meal to go.
Pacificana
813 55th Street, between 54th and 55th streets.
Enjoy Cantonese-style dim sum in this lavish Sunset Park restaurant. Try dishes like orange beef, egg drop soup, and whole roast duck. Stop by after you enjoy the parade.
Xi’an Town
165 Bedford Avenue, between N. 8th and N. 9th streets.
Try the fairly new Xi’an Town for a large variety of dishes, including kep salad, lamb dumplings, and hand-ripped noodles.
Yaso Tangbao
Multiple locations.
This Shanghai street food spot serves up some of the best soup dumplings, steamed bao, and braised pork meatballs.