Chinese New Year 2024
Destination guides and travel tips for celebrating the Year of the Dragon
Chinese New Year 2024: Year of the Dragon
Bright red lanterns, dancing dragons, and firecrackers and fireworks – this carnival of colour is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture, but Chinese New Year is also celebrated all over the world.
It marks the end of winter and the beginning of a new spring on the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. This year the Chinese New Year animal is the Dragon, representing authority, prosperity and good fortune. It officially begins on February 10, but as festivities run over many days and weeks, there are plenty of opportunity to get involved! Here are three destinations to visit for unforgettable Chinese New Year celebrations:
Beijing
A megacity of extraordinary sights, Beijing is a melting pot of ancient culture and modern energy, and the number of major sights to see in China’s capital makes it easy for visitors to create jam-packed itineraries and tick off multiple items on their bucket lists all in one trip. People flock from all over the world to celebrate Chinese New Year in Beijing, where festivals run for at least a week.
Ditan Park Fair
Set in the grounds of an ancient earth temple, the Ditan Park Fair is one of the biggest and most popular temple fairs in Beijing, lasting for a week over Chinese New Year.
Wander under the endless streams of Chinese New Year decorations and lucky red lanterns overhead, watch traditional folk dances, and feast on the local street food.
Reunion Dinner
One of the strong Chinese New Year traditions is for families to get together on Lunar New Year’s Eve for a reunion dinner. However, if you’re a tourist, you can still take part in this tradition, too.
Lots of restaurants serve set Reunion Dinner menus for those who won’t be staying at home, and with over 30 Michelin-starred restaurants in Beijing, you’ll be spoiled for choice - but book in advance, as it gets extremely busy.
Hong Kong
A city practically exploding with drama, Hong Kong’s towering skyline sits famously close to luscious green peaks, and the sheer scale and pace of daily life here will take your travelling experience to dizzy new heights. Naturally, Chinese New Year is the most important festival on the calendar, with the entire city of Hong Kong shutting down for several days and culminating in a spectacular fireworks display on Victoria Harbour.
Night Parade
Taking on the theme of ‘Good Fortune All Around Hong Kong’, the 2024 Chinese New Year Night Parade is set to be a a roaring street party.
Crowds will gather at 6pm for a lively street performance to get everyone’s in the festive spirit, with the parade kicking off at 8pm and making its way through the main streets.
Incense Offering at Wong Tai Sin Temple
Making the first incense offering at Wong Tai Sin Temple is known as one of Hong Kong’s biggest Chinese New Year traditions.
It’s believed that those who enter the temple first and burn incense sticks as an offering to the gods will receive the biggest blessings, so each year thousands of people gather outside the temple in a bit to be the first ones inside, to pray for a new year of good fortune.
Singapore
The secret’s out, and Singapore has moved away from its reputation as simply a stopover destination, attracting visitors looking for all sorts of holidays. You can lose yourself in slick city living, with cutting-edge cuisine, trendy cocktail bars and a dazzling nightlife as easily as you can enjoy a lazy and luxurious beach holiday, with sun-drenched hotels and resorts along the sparkling coastline. At Chinese New Year, a visit to Gardens by the Bay is a must, where the futuristic garden feels even more fantastical adorned in CNY decorations.
Chinese New Year Light-Up
Illuminating the Chinatown district with over 80,000 LED lights, Singapore positively sparkles throughout Chinese New Year celebrations. Expect beautiful lanterns and big, bright red dragon displays this year, too.
The festive spirit runs throughout Chinatown with regular lion dances and folk dances, and lots of delicious street food.
Chingay Parade
Returning to the famous Formula 1 pit, the 2024 Chingay Parade promises to deliver unforgettable Chinese New Year celebrations!
A full-on floral extravaganza, this year’s theme of ‘Blossom’ represents the ‘flourishing growth of individuals and community in Singapore, uniting to work towards peace, harmony and prosperity’. Enjoy the enchanting garden floor projection and Insta-worthy backdrops.
Travel Tips
Make sure you check opening hours. Lots of businesses, restaurants and shops in China have shorter opening hours during this time, with some even closing for the holiday, so keep an eye on opening hours. But don’t worry – despite reduced business hours, the city is busier and livelier than ever!
And buy train tickets early. Travelling within China can get extremely busy during this time, as most Chinese people travel to visit relatives and friends, in addition to foreign tourists. So be prepared for busy crowds, and buy any train tickets as early as possible.
Find out more about flying from Manchester Airport to Beijing and our other destinations to celebrate the Year of the Dragon this Chinese New Year.
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