Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit in 2023!
In connection with the Chinese Lunar New Year, there will be festivals, cultural events, and traditional music and food all around Atlanta. These are a handful of events that are free or affordable. Most are family-friendly.
NOTE that the large Atlanta Chinese Lunar New Year Festival, which used to take place in Chamblee, is NOT happening this year — nor is the smaller celebration at Chinatown Mall in Chamblee
Things to do for Chinese Lunar New Year
Enjoy these 2023 festivals and cultural events around metro Atlanta.
FREE “take-and-make” kits at Dekalb County Libraries
The Redan-Trotti Library is handing out FREE Take-and-Make kits for kids and adults. The kits include everything you need to make an origami animal bookmark. You can pick one up on any Monday in January. See the Lunar New Year events page on the county’s library website for details.
There’s also a special Chinese New Year celebration at the Chamblee branch on Saturday, January 28, 2023 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The event is suitable for families and kids of all ages; it is FREE to attend.
Children’s crafts at the Duluth Library
Thursday, January 29, 2023
6 to 7:30 p..m.
FREE
Families can learn about Lunar New traditions and create their own bouncing rabbit, origami, and rattle drum. Supplies are provided. The Duluth branch of Gwinnett Public Library is located at 3180 Main St. in Duluth.
More info
Decatur Lunar New Year Festival
Saturday, January 28, 2023
1 to 5 p.m.
FREE
This is said to be Atlanta’s only Pan-Asian New Year celebration — meaning it embraces the diverse customs of several different Asian countries, including Vietnam, Korea, China, and the Philippines.
For most of Asia, 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit. But in Vietnam, it’s the Year of the Cat. So the Decatur festival has created its own mascot animal — the Cabbit — in the spirit of inclusivity.
This festival takes place in Legacy Park — located at 500 S. Columbia Drive in Decatur.
More info
Johns Creek Lunar New Year Celebration
Saturday, January 21, 2023
1 to 4 p.m.
FREE
You’ll find cultural performances, traditional food, vendors, and kids activities at this local festival. Located at Newtown Park, at the amphiteater. The address is 3150 Old Alabama Rd.
More info
Vietnamese Tet Lunar New Year Festival
Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023 — 1 to 8 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023 — 1 p.m. to midnight
FREE
The event features a street food market, live entertainment, the traditional Lion Dance, karaoke, and more.
The location is the Plaza Las Americas, located at 733 Pleasant Hill Rd. in Lilburn.
More info
FREE lantern shows, lion dance, and more at Atlantic Station
Atlantic Station will be decked out with festive decor and tradition, from a magnificent red dragon to mesmerizing lantern shows, between Friday, January 13th to Sunday, February 5th, 2023.
Here’s what you can expect to see at Atlantic Station:
♦ A beautifully designed, 90-foot red dragon (the traditional symbol of good fortune) will be surrounded by fog, near the Atlantic Green. The dragon sculpture features over 25,000 lights, according to a press release.
♦ Programmed lantern shows will take place at the top of each hour, from 5 to 9 p.m. each night, featuring nearly 500 lanterns in a dazzling 5-minute display. The automated light shows begin on Jan. 13th and take place on Atlantic Green. They run thru Feb. 5th.
On Sunday, January 22, 2023, you can attend a spectacular Lunar New Year Festival from noon to 5 p.m.
The traditional Lion Dance will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. Other entertainment includes Tai Chi, a deejay, and a petting zoo that features the animals of the Chinese zodia.
Lunar New Year Festival at Stone Mountain Park
Friday, Jan. 20 thru Sunday, Jan. 22
Friday, Jan. 27 thru Sunday, Jan. 29
4 to 9 p.m.
Admission $19.99 for all ages
This is a new festival at Stone Mountain Park in 2023. It will feature crafts, cultural activities, storytime, puppet shows, martial arts demonstrations, dance and drumming, a parade, and more. After dark there will be a drone show, a light show, hundreds of lanterns, and a fireworks finale.
The park is billing this event as “the largest Lunar New Year spectacular in North America.”
Your ticket includes all festival activities, plus select park attractions — so you can arrive as early as 10 a.m. and enjoy the park before the festival activities begin at 4 p.m. The Summit Skyride is included in your ticket and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Get more info and buy tickets
Remember that it costs $20 per vehicle to park at Stone Mountain!
Family Series Concert at the Carlos Museum
Sunday, January 22, 2023
4 to 5 p.m.
FREE
The Vega Quartet will perform classical music, plus you’ll hear traditional Chinese music performed on the zither and bamboo flute. The concert takes place in Ackerman Hall at the Carlos Museum.
More info
Hello Rainbow Lion Dance Event
Saturday, January 28, 2023
11:15 a.m.
The Hello Rainbow toy store in Duluth will host a Lion Dance. It is FREE to attend. The store is located at 3550 W. Lawrenceville St, Suite #330.
Get a Red Envelope at Panda Express
We don’t have details for 2023 yet.
But we assume the tradition of handing out red envelopes at Panda Express will be back this year — and we’ll update as soon as we know more. The envelopes contain special coupons that you can redeem later.
Chinese New Year at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta
Saturday, Jan. 22, 2023
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Regular admission price applies
The museum will offer special activities that are free with a paid admission, which ranges from $16 to $19. Children under one year of age are free. The special programming will include cultural performances.
See the museum’s event page for more information.
Chinese New Year celebration at Doc Chey’s
Doc Chey’s 2023 Chinese New Year Celebration features special fortune cookie prizes. This year, the event is one day only on Tuesday, January 24, 2023.
Doc Chey’s celebrations will take place at these locations (click thru for details).
Fortune Cookie Prizes
Dine in on Jan. 24th and crack open your cookie to reveal a prize! Every cookie wins something.
A trio of lucky foods is said to bring wealth, happiness, and a long life to those who eat them during the New Year celebration. (Photo courtesy of Doc Chey’s)
FREE Lion Dance performances along Buford Hwy
We don’t have 2023 info for these events yet, but we will update when we do!
The Chien Hong School of Kung Fu will peform the Lion Dance and give Kung Fu demonstrations at two shopping plazas on Buford Highway:
- Asian Square (5150 Buford Hwy, Doraville)
- Orient Center (4897 Buford Hwy, Chamblee)
Fun Facts about the Chinese New Year
- The holiday is more appropriately called the Lunar New Year because it is celebrated in Asian countries other than China.
- The festival date changes every year, because it’s based on the movement of the moon. Usually, it falls on a day between mid-January and mid-February.
- The lunar new year starts a new animal’s zodiac sign. The 12 animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
- Instead of wrapped gifts that western nationalities give at Christmas, children get red envelopes stuffed with lucky money.
- Lunar New Year is the largest use of fireworks in the world. The firecrackers are supposed to scare off monsters and bad luck. People stay up and set off firecrackers at midnight on the eve of the celebration. In the morning, they use firecrackers again to welcome the new year and good luck.
