Ring in the Year of the Snake at Bryant Park’s Lunar New Year Celebration
Celebrate Lunar New Year with fun crafts, lively performances, and a spectacular Lion Dance.
If you’re looking for a fun and festive way to celebrate the Lunar New Year with your family, you don’t need to go very far. On Sunday, February 2, 2025, Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park will host its annual Lunar New Year Celebration.
This year, the event is celebrating the Year of the Snake with a fun-packed morning, perfect for families to learn a little more about Chinese culture. The day offers a great mix of performances, crafts, and hands-on activities.
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Make a Wish
One of the most popular activities each year is the Wishing Tree on the Grey Rink Deck. Visitors are invited to write their wishes for the new year on colorful paper tags and hang them on the tree, symbolizing hope and positivity for the year ahead.
The New York Chinese Cultural Center (NYCCC) kicks off the day with traditional Chinese dance and music performances. It’s a great way for kids to experience Chinese culture, featuring everything from classical to modern dance and music. The NYCCC has been sharing Chinese cultural traditions since 1974, and their performances are always a highlight of the event.
Get Crafty and Get Moving
Families with art and craft lovers can get creative by making Year of the Snake crafts to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Here, kids can draw, color, or put together something fun to take home while learning about the traditions behind the holiday.
For active and outgoing kids (and adults!), there’s also a Ribbon Dancing Class where participants can learn ribbon dancing which is often a part of Chinese celebrations. Ribbon dancing is a graceful tradition where dancers use long, flowing ribbons attached to sticks, creating beautiful, fluid movements. It is a fun way for kids to get moving, express themselves, and learn something new. Visitors can also join a kung-fu demonstration.
Meet the Lions and Watch the Dance
Of course, no Lunar New Year celebration would be complete without the Lion Dance. Families can meet the New York Chinese Cultural Center (NYCCC) Lions on the Upper Terrace where these playful, colorful lions will be ready to pose for photos before performing at noon.
The dancers, dressed in elaborate lion costumes, will perform an energetic, rhythmic dance meant to bring good luck and chase away evil spirits, another way to usher in the new year.
The New York Chinese Cultural Center has been promoting Chinese arts and culture since 1974. They offer classes, workshops, and performances in traditional dance, martial arts, lion dance, and visual arts. They also have a professional dance company, Dance China New York, that puts on shows mixing folk and modern dance, blending old traditions with a fresh, contemporary vibe.
This Lunar New Year celebration is the perfect way to spend a morning with your family. Since everything takes place right in Bryant Park, you can also enjoy the last weeks of winter village, grab a hot chocolate, and take in the views of the city as it celebrates a fresh start to the lunar calendar.
The Lunar New Year Celebration at Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park takes place on February 2, 2025 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm.
For more ways to celebrate the year of the Snake and Lunar Year 2025, check out these awesome family-friendly activities all across New York City and Long Island:
37 Family-Friendly Events to Celebrate Lunar New Year in NYC
13 Ways to Celebrate Lunar New Year 2025 on Long Island
