Where to celebrate the Lunar New Year in London

London's Lunar New Year Parade is undoubtedly one of the best ways to welcome the Chinese New Year. The celebrations are the biggest of their kind outside of Asia and will see thousands of people flock to the streets to watch as colourful performers in lion and dragon outfits and vibrant floats cruise through the city streets. The parade will start east of Trafalgar Square and run to Chinatown.

To mark the Year of the Horse, the Old Spitalfields Market will host a lively, family-friendly weekend celebrating culture, creativity, and food. Visitors can explore a pop-up Asian makers market, enjoy a traditional lion dance, take part in dumpling making, and join free art workshops for children, including lantern making and calligraphy. With events spread across multiple locations, the market will be open all day alongside independent shops, street food, and restaurants throughout the weekend.

Greenwich Peninsula is hosting a number of different events to celebrate the Lunar New Year. You can attend a calligraphy or Chinese knot-making workshop, explore art exhibitions, enjoy dragon and lion dances winding their way around Peninsula Square, listen to live music, browse the Eternal Market for handcrafted goods and tasty food, and more.

This year, the Museum of the Home is celebrating the Lunar New Year with a fun family day of creativity and storytelling. Join them on 17 February for free events, including storytelling and crafting sessions, as well as the chance for children to explore the Nguyen family's celebration of Tết (Vietnamese New Year) using the museum's interactive guide to the Vietnamese home in their Rooms Through Time.

The National Maritime Museum is hosting a day of celebrations in honour of the Lunar New Year, including creative family-friendly workshops where you'll make Chinese lanterns or lucky red envelopes, learn lion dancing, or try Tai Chi. Dance, puppet, Chinese music, and martial arts performances will be on throughout the day, and there'll be arrange of special talks to learn more about the holiday as well.

Camden Market is hosting a free day festival in celebration of the Year of the Horse, with the line-up including live Chinese folk singing, Shaolin Kung Fu, a costume parade, a dragon dance, hands-on workshops, Mahjongg tutorials, face painting, and a number of stalls showcasing Chinese arts, food, and other treats.

The acclaimed Cutter & Squidge bakery is marking the Lunar New Year  with a collection of festive cakes, cookies, brownies, and gifting sets inspired by tradition and lucky symbolism. The limited-edition range pairs classic Lunar New Year flavours with a modern twist, all wrapped in specially designed celebratory packaging. Cutter & Squidge's celebrations also include a Lunar New Year Mahjong Night that's open to both experienced players and beginners.

Throughout the Lunar New Year period, restaurants across Chinatown will be welcoming the Year of the Horse by serving traditional festive dishes such as the lucky jiaozi dumplings, the nian gao glutinous rice cake, lobster noodles, and the Singaporean lucky sharing dish Yu Sheng, among others.

To celebrate Lunar New Year, Huŏ and Uli are introducing a limited-edition menu of symbolic dishes created to welcome prosperity, luck and new beginnings. Running alongside the main menu, the specials honour the Year of the Horse with traditional flavours and auspicious ingredients, led by a celebratory dim sum basket featuring chicken siu mai with XO sauce, prawn and truffle har gau, and aubergine and spinach dumplings. The specials are designed to complement classic New Year staples such as longevity noodles.

This year, Mimi Mei Fair invites guests to celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse with the return of its iconic wishing tree, symbolising hope and renewal. The tree is adorned with traditional red Chinese lanterns and colours representing success and good fortune. The celebration features a bespoke feasting menu, with highlights such as "Basket of Wealth" dim sum, “Fortune Crispy Norfolk Pork”, and baiju baba for dessert.

Ring in the Year of the Horse at House of Ming, from 6–22 February, when you can enjoy a special seven-dish à la carte menu inspired by Sichuan and Cantonese flavours, with each dish symbolising prosperity, longevity, and good fortune. Expect refined plates spanning veggie dishes, seafood, and rich meats, all designed for sharing with family and friends. Raise a glass with the “Inferno Ride” cocktail – five-spice-infused baijiu with Campari and sweet vermouth, created especially for the occasion.

Globally renowned dumpling masters Din Tai Fung are welcoming the Year of the Horse with a limited-edition menu inspired by strength, warmth, and abundance. Dishes include the likes of tom yum xiao long bao, hand-cut soy noodle salad, crisp dynamite prawns, warming lion's head meatball soup, and more. During the festive period, diners who spend at least £180 will also receive a complimentary set of bespoke red pockets, adorned with cherry blossom and gold detailing and symbolising good fortune.

Mei Ume offers a multiple-course tasting menu celebrating the Lunar New Year, featuring a mixture of Chinese and Japanese dishes like the traditional Prosperity Toss salmon salad, koi dim sum in seafood broth, and wok-fried cured meat, with a black sesame glutinous rice ball for dessert. The menu is available for tables of two and more.

If you want a traditional Chinese environment to enjoy your meal and ring in the new year, head to Phoenix Palace in Marylebone, a restaurant filled with lanterns, dragons, and authentic Chinese decor. It's a popular spot to get your dim sum fix, with a menu crafted using the finest seasonal produce, including a limited edition Lunar New Year banquet. To celebrate the Fire Horse, they're serving a selection of celebration dishes, as well as a set menu for tables of at least eight people.

Thanks in no small part to Chef Chee Hwee Tong, Hakkasan and its parent group won Michelin stars and became a global culinary powerhouse. After leaving the group in 2019, Tong returned to London with Gouqi, an upmarket establishment where he utilises seasonal local ingredients to fuse pan-Chinese flavours with European haute cuisine. The Chinese New Year menu at this upmarket spot features dishes such as deep-fried Dover sole or braised Iberico pork.

The Grand Nine (Gau Dai Gwai) gets a modern Lunar New Year makeover at Bun House Disco, blending the traditional Cantonese feast with contemporary flavours, disco glam, and a playful lucky twist. The celebratory menu reworks classics alongside Disco favourites , while behind the bar, a collaboration with Circle13 introduces a herbal tea–inspired cocktail menu, mixing Cantonese flavours with inventive zero-proof drinks.

If you'd like to celebrate the Chinese New Year in style, this ultra-swish Chinese restaurant perched atop the 33rd floor of the Shard is the place to be. It's named after Beijing's ancient hutongs - the narrow alleyways that crisscross through the city - and has a dramatic interior that blends old Chinese style with a splash of contemporary. Expect exquisite takes on authentic Chinese dishes and expertly crafted cocktails, along with entertainment.

Daddy Bao's Lunar New Year Seafood Feast returns to Tooting with a tasting menu blending Taiwanese tradition and modern flair, featuring symbolic dishes like golden longevity noodles for long life, fragrant fish bao, nian gao dessert, and more. The one-off menu is designed for sharing in a festive atmosphere.

Celebrate the Year of the Horse at Roe Restaurant with a specially curated menu featuring crispy stuffed chicken wings, maitake mushroom wonton, and char sui lamb skewer, followed by indulgent mains like sweet & sour suckling pork or 'Fire horse' red chilli cod head with sriracha butter. Live entertainment adds to the atmosphere.

Xi Home Dumplings Bay in Spitalfields is welcoming the Year of the Horse with its limited-edition Northern Chinese Golden Spring Feast, a celebratory menu inspired by symbols of fortune, prosperity, happiness, and longevity. The feast features refined seafood, slow-braised pork, elegant starters, and golden-hued dumplings designed to reflect traditional meanings through contemporary presentation. They're also offering a limited edition of hand-crafted Lion Dance Buns filled with custard and matcha, available for preorder and collection.

Noodle & Beer is celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse with a limited-edition Chinese New Year menu of seven auspicious specials. The festive offering includes bold Sichuan dishes such as beer-braised duck, chestnut chicken, handmade dumplings and traditional sweet rice balls, alongside themed decor, red envelopes with prizes, and interactive activities for diners.

The Poon family has celebrated many a Chinese New Year in London, having opened their first restaurant more than 50 years. Amy Poon's newly launched restaurant at Somerset House is joining the tradition by putting on a special dinner-only menu, featuring festive dishes like prawn wontons, Chinese radish cake, prosperity toss salad, magic soup, shou xi duck, and more.

This year, Pancake Day lines up with Chinese New Year, and Wembley's Crepes+Coffee is marking the moment with a limited-edition crêpe served from its charming Grand Union Canal narrowboat. The special features egg, spring onions, coriander, and hoisin, with a choice of beef brisket or pork belly. Alongside the new creation, the boat will continue serving its regular sweet and savoury crêpes and speciality coffee.