Year of the Snake: Bay Area lunar new year events for 2025
The Year of the Snake is upon us as communities across the Bay Area celebrate Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year or Tet. Here’s a sampling of ways to join in the celebrations.
Children’s Fairyland Lunar New Year: Jan. 24-26, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Celebrate the Year of the Snake and Fairyland’s 75th anniversary with a long weekend of festivities including arts and crafts, lion dance performances and sweet treats. $18-$20. https://fairyland.org
Milpitas Lunar New Year: 6 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 25, Milpitas Civic Center Plaza,
457 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas. This community celebration will include cultural performances, childrens crafts, delicious Asian food and lion and dragon dances. Free admission. www.milpitas.gov
Lunar New Year San Jose: Noon to 8 p.m. Jan. 25-26, Grand Century Mall, 1111 Story Road, San Jose. Festivities will include a parade, cultural performances, food and drink vendors and more. Free admission. www.sanjose.org/events/
Palo Alto Lunar New Year Fair: 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 26, Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Join the Year of the Snake festivities at this community-focused fair. Free. www.cityofpaloalto.org/Events-Directory/
Lunar New Year Celebration: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 1, Mountain View Community Center, 201 S. Rengstorff Ave., Mountain View. The festivities will include cultural performances, crafts, games, community booths and food trucks. Free admission. www.mountainview.gov
Santana Row Lunar New Year Celebration: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 1 at Santana Row, San Jose. Enjoy lion dances, cultural performances, surprise red envelopes and more. Free admission. www.santanarow.com/events/
Lunar New Year at Children’s Discovery Museum: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Feb. 1, 180 Woz Way, San Jose. Kick off the Year of the Snake with festivities bringing together Chinese and Vietnamese traditions. Create your own branch of flowers to symbolize good fortune in the coming year and enjoy performances of the ever-popular Lion Dance by Yun Yee Tong USA. $16-$18. www.cdm.org/event/lunar-new-year/
Lunar New Year x Black History Month 2025: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 1, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 Ninth St., Oakland. This celebration of Asian and African-American solidarity through art, music and dance includes performances by Black and Asian martial artists, Dimensions Dance Theater, Destiny Arts Center, Amihan and the Great Wall Youth Orchestra. Free. https://oacc.cc/
Redwood City Lunar New Year Celebration: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 1, Courthouse Square, 2200 Broadway St., Redwood City. See lion dancers, martial artists, taiko drummers and other live performers, and enjoy complimentary admission to the San Mateo County History Museum. Free admission. bit.ly/LNYrc
Jack London Square Lunar New Year Celebration: 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 1, Jack London Square, Oakland. Enjoy Year of the Snake celebrations in the Plaza by Plank with lion dancers, martial arts performances, a kids crafts and a Year of the Snake selfie photo op. Free. https://jacklondonsquare.com
Lunar New Year Performance: 2 to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 1, Sunnyvale Public Library, 665 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale. Join the Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra for this Year of the Snake celebration. Free. www.library.sunnyvale.ca.gov/events
Bankhead Lunar New Year Celebration: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 2, 2400 First St., Livermore. Celebrate the Year of the Snake at Bankhead Plaza with a festive event featuring demonstrations, performances and arts for the entire family. Free admission. bit.ly/LNYbankhead
Lunar New Year at SF Botanical Garden: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 2, 1199 Ninth Ave., San Francisco. This Golden Gate Park celebration invites participants of all ages to dance along to festive performances, play games for prizes and try their hands at traditional calligraphy, origami and auspicious crafts. Free admission. gggp.org/event/lunarnewyear/
Lunar New Year at Westfield Valley Fair: Noon to 4 p.m. Feb. 2, Westfield Valley Fair, 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara. Enjoy performances by traditional lion dancers, red envelopes and other cultural fun during this celebration. Free admission. www.eventbrite.com
Lunar New Year at City Center Bishop Ranch: 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 2, 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon. Enjoy a Lunar New Year celebration featuring the artistry of Chinese dancers, live music, a mesmerizing contortionist, the magic of a Bian Lian “face changer” and the iconic dragon dance. Free admission. https://citycenterbishopranch.com/events/
San Jose Lunar New Year Tet & Moon Festival: Feb. 7-9, Eastridge Center, 2200 Eastridge Loop, San Jose. Presented by UStar Productions, this festival features live music and entertainment, carnival rides and lion dancing, plus Asian retail, food and drink vendors. Free admission. facebook.com/UStarProductions/
Lunar New Year at OMCA: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 8, Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. The museum’s 24th annual Lunar New Year Celebration will include family-friendly storytelling, performances and activities. $10. https://museumca.org/
Lunar New Year on Fourth Street: 12 to 4 p.m. Feb 8, Delaware at Fourth Street,
Berkeley. Enjoy Golden Lion martial arts demos, a Kei Lun lion dance and a parade. Free. www.visitberkeley.com/events/
Lunar New Year at San Francisco Symphony: 5 p.m. Feb. 8, Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. Welcome the Year of the Snake with the San Francisco Symphony at this annual new year concert that draws upon Asian traditions, past and present, in a celebration of music and community. $75 and up. bit.ly/LNYsfsymphony
Chinese New Year Parade: Feb. 15, Chinatown, San Francisco. Chinatown’s celebrations include a Flower Festival (Jan. 25-26) and a Community Street Fair (Feb. 15-16), as well as the big illuminated parade. The latter, which begins at Second and Market Streets, circles Union Square and ends at Kearny Street and Columbus Ave., includes floats, ferocious lions, firecrackers and a 288-foot long Golden Dragon. Find details on the parade and other Lunar New Year events at https://chineseparade.com/.
Oakland Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 22, Wilma Chan Park, 810 Jackson St., Oakland. Presented by the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council, this special celebration and parade begins and ends at Wilma Chan Park. Free admission. www.ocic-ca.org/2025-parade