The ultimate guide to celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year 2024 in London

Get ready for The Year of the Dragon (Picture: Nic Crilly-Hargrave, Park Chinois, Pan Pacific)

The Year of the Dragon is kicking off with a roar as London celebrates Lunar New Year with sumptuous Chinese feasts and festivals.

London is home to the biggest Lunar New Year celebration in the world outside of Asia and Chinatown, Trafalgar Square and the West End are all expected to attract hundreds of thousands of revellers for the festivities.

This year, Lunar New Year falls on Saturday 10 February, but events to mark the occasion are taking place throughout the month. Here are our picks of the best places to celebrate:

1. Check out Chinatown

London’s Chinatown is the centre of the city’s Lunar New Year celebrations (Picture: Nic Crilly-Hargrave)

If you’re going to ring in Lunar New Year properly, head straight to London’s Chinatown.

Resplendent with red lanterns, the buzzy neighbourhood is playing host to the annual Chinese New Year parade that snakes across the West End on Sunday 11 February, complete with food stalls and lion dancing.

Their restaurants are getting in on the act too – Plum Valley’s mouth-watering CNY menu includes their ever popular tangerine-shaped custard buns.

For spice hounds, Indo-Chinese Mecca Fatt Pundit in nearby Covent Garden have rustled up a special Dragon momo – a festive take on the classic steamed dumpling, served in a pool of firey, deep red ‘dragon’ sauce, while Kung Fu Noodle’s hand-pulled noodles (a lucky Lunar New Year staple) come swimming in chilli oil.

Plum Valley’s famous tangerine buns symbolise wealth (and are really yummy) (Picture: Plum Valley)

Kung Fu Noodle is bringing the heat (Picture: Nic Crilly-Hargrave)

Bun House is going for a sweet take on the lucky dumplings: a miso brown sugar bun, beautifully crafted into the shape of a traditional red lantern.

2. Have a Chinese-style afternoon tea

Latest London news

To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro.co.uk’s London news hub.

Lucky buns and posh tea at Pan Pacific hotel (Picture: Nic Crilly-Hargrave)

Tea rituals are an important traditional part of celebrating Lunar New year, with ceremonies typically practiced with family and friends as a way to symbolise connection or to offer respect and gratitude.

If you want to go all out, Bun House have teamed up with five-star hotel Pan Pacific for an a-bun-dant afternoon tea, combining Cantonese-style delicacies with delicate patisserie. The decadent spread includes Bun House’s signature lamb bun with toasted cumin, chilli and garlic, plus an exclusive bamboo filling; a fragrant white peach and milk Oolong lantern; and a pineapple and Szechuan pepper wonton (£68pp, available until 25 March).

Hong Kong-style cocktail bar Lucy Wong is also hosting a Chinese New Year afternoon tea on Saturday 10 February. Guests can enjoy a selection of dim sum and Asian-inspired pastries served on a traditional tiered stand alongside flree-flowing Chinese tea and a complimentary Chinese New Year cocktail (from £45pp).

3. Celebrate with amazing Asian cuisine

Park Chinois is a very glamourous place for a celebration (Picture: Park Chinois)

To start the new year on a truly prosperous note, Park Chinois is a classy, gold-gilded option. Expect opulent decor, an inventive dim sum menu and a thrilling traditional lion dance with Chinese drumming every evening until 11 February.

Raise a toast at Experimental Cocktail Club, where they have created a bespoke cocktail menu using Chinese spirit Ming River Baiju, including the aptly named Dragonfire (featuring smoky mezcal and punchy campari).

For groups, Ping Pong has an amazing value £20 set menu filled with classic buns and dumplings, plus limited edition specials including Dragon Balls and a fiery Dragon Punch cocktail with Vivir tequila and agave chilli.

 4. Take part in a Lunar New Year festival

2024 is the year of the dragon (Picture: Getty Images)

London’s iconic Lunar New Year parade starts on Charing Cross Road at 10:15am on Sunday 11 February, before making its way to Shaftesbury Avenue in Chinatown.

The London Chinese New Year fun continues across the West End with special performances, workshops and activities, including a showstopping finale in Trafalgar Square around 5pm.

The Museum of London Docklands has a brilliant programme of family friendly events taking place for free over the weekend, from Dragon Kung Fu to a silent disco.

A traditional Chinese dragon dance complete with red and gold dragon puppet will snake its way through the Greenwich Peninsula and the Design District from 1pm, followed by activities and performances in Pen Square.

What does the Year of the Dragon mean?

This Chinese New Year begins on February 10, with people around the world celebrating the biggest event on the lunar calendar.

It also marks the start of the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese zodiac, putting focus onto all those born under this sign.

This form of astrology splits people into 12 signs, each represented by a different animal and denoting shared traits.

There are also classifications associated with the signs that change on a rolling basis – Water, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Wood, which is this year’s element.

The dragon is the only mythical creature featured in the Chinese zodiac, and it’s an especially auspicious sign symbolising power, nobility, honour, luck, and success.

You can find out your tailored Chinese New Year horoscope here, but more generally, the year will be underpinned by a sense of curiosity, whether that means acquiring knowledge, exploring new hobbies, or taking leaps into relationship commitment.

Get your weekly guide to what’s on in London, plus competitions and sign up to Metro’s The Slice newsletter