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 tends to start at Charing Cross Road and ends in Trafalgar Square.

Battersea's imposing brick building is hosting a traditional dragon dance and glowing red lantern ornaments in honour of Chinese New Year. The iconic Battersea Power Station chimneys will also light up red for the occasion. In addition, several of the leisure destination's retail and dining outlets will be offering special products.

Greenwich Peninsula is hosting a number of different events to celebrate the Lunar New Year. You can attend a bamboo weaving or Chinese knot-making workshop, explore art exhibitions, enjoy dragon and lion dances winding their way around Peninsula Square, listen to live music, explore the Eternal Market, 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 18 February for free events, including storytelling and crafting sessions, as well as the chance for children to create their own temporary home in the museum's interactive family playhouse. Adults can also attend a Museum Late on 30 January, which will dive into the “A Terraced House in 2024” exhibit dressed for Tết (Vietnamese New Year).

This January, Samyukta Nair invites guests to celebrate the Year of the Wood Snake at MiMi Mei Fair, 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 “Serpent's Treasure” chocolate mousse.

Globally renowned dumpling masters Din Tai Fung are welcoming the Year of the Snak  with a pair of exclusive drinks, the Golden Twist cocktail and the Silk Garden mocktail, both designed to go well with the restaurant's signature soup dumplings. In fact, if you order a basket of the xiao long bao to go with your drink, you might just find one of the 100 Golden Snake Charms inside, meaning you get the basket on the house.

Mei Ume offers a ten-course tasting menu celebrating the Lunar New Year, crafted by head chef Peter Ho. The menu features dishes like the traditional Prosperity Toss Salmon Salad, wasabi prawn, and braised pork belly in bao buns, with a lucky cat-inspired dessert symbolising joy and prosperity. Guests can also enjoy special drinks, including a Hennessy cocktail or Saicho sparkling tea, and live Chinese performances on select days to mark the Year of the Snake.

Plum Valley is a family-run Chinese restaurant in the heart of Chinatown, serving classic Cantonese dishes with a contemporary twist. There are rainbow platters of dim sum with fillings like asparagus and prawn and chicken and corn. In honour of the Snake, they're offering limited-edition Chinese New Year specials like radish cake, coconut rice cake, and salmon sashimi.

The Ivy Asia is celebrating the Year of the Snake with new menus, cocktails, and entertainment inspired by the Snake's adaptability. For a limited time only, guests can enjoy the Lunar Dragon set lunch, Lunar Samurai set dinner, or the striking Snake dessert, alongside five exclusive Hennessy-crafted cocktails, including the rich Vanilla Viper and refreshing Moonlight Spritz.

Opt for a meal at Hakkasan, with their limited-edition Chinese New Year menu focusing on prosperity and fortune. Your meal will feature a signature cocktail and dishes crafted by executive chefs of Hakkasan restaurants around the world. The celebration will be accompanied by traditional lion dances, and you'll also be able to hang a wishing ribbon on a bespoke golden wishing tree.

The luxurious Park Chinois in Mayfair is celebrating the Year of the Snake with immersive entertainment, including a traditional lion dance and Chinese drumming, and a special menu. The luxury Asian restaurant brings a touch of 1930's Shanghai to the festivities, offering enticing cocktails alongside its bespoke Chinese New Year Menu.

London's foremost purveyor of steamed buns Bao is celebrating the Year of the Snake by popping up at Dover Street Market in Mayfair, offering not just food but merchandise as well. You can get limited-edition Year of the Snake apparel made in collaboration with Carhartt here, as well as caps, lighters, and other branded products.

Infamous all-you-can-eat dumpling purveyors Ping Pong are celebrating the Year of the Snake with a limited-edition collection of five dim sum and a lavish drink, including char siu roast pork, a Wagyu & black bean dumpling, and a black sesame bun. Some of them are also included in the chain's special set menus, and you can also order corporate catering for the whole office to celebrate the Year of the Snake.

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 Snake, 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 Chilean seabass or crispy braised pipa chicken.

The bamboo baskets at Bun House are filled with bao buns that are almost too cute to eat. This tiny spot in Chinatown and its brand new Shoreditch sibling serve pillowy Cantonese buns filled with BBQ pork belly, roasted veg, curry chicken and more. To celebrate the 2025 Chinese New Year, they've launched a limited-edition Lucky Yu ube custard bun, and it's adorable.

If you'd rather celebrate the 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 in the form of a Chinese calligrapher, a lion dance, a wishing tree, and more.

Daddy Bao's Lunar New Year Seafood Feast returns to Tooting with a six-course set menu blending Taiwanese tradition and modern flair, featuring symbolic dishes like golden longevity noodles for long life, whole sea bass for abundance, and a seven-coloured fish salad for luck. The one-off menu is designed for sharing in a festive atmosphere and includes a welcome cocktail.

Mama Shelter London continues its Supper Club series in 2025 with Emily Yeoh, co-founder of Two Hot Asians, hosting a Lunar New Year celebration. The menu features sharing starters, Hainanese-style roast chicken, and pandan tres leches cake, with tickets including the three-course meal and live cooking. Guests can also order a signature HanaKotoba cocktail, and the event promises a lively atmosphere in Mama Shelter's show kitchen area.

Celebrate the Year of the Snake at Roe Restaurant and embrace renewal and prosperity. Their set menu takes you on a flavourful journey, starting with crispy stuffed chicken wings, mushroom noodle spring rolls, and char sui pork skewers, followed by a yee sang prosperity toss salad. Choose between two main courses: the Year of the Snake Wellington with smoked eel and sea bream, or sweet & sour suckling pork with XO octopus fried rice, before finishing with a dessert of caramelised pineapple, Timut pepper brioche, and osmanthus flower.

Celebrate the Year of the Snake at Crate Walthamstow with a vibrant Chinese New Year offer. Choy House and Pretty Decent Beer Co have crafted a special platter featuring spring rolls, prawn toast, fried wontons, and sweet & sour sauce, paired with two core beers or a non-alcoholic option. Gather your loved ones for a festive feast, share delicious flavours, and toast to new beginnings with great food and laughter.