Looking for the full schedule of Lunar New Year dance performances in Sydney for 2025? You’ve come to the right place.
Chinese New Year (otherwise known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival) is upon us with 2025 being the Year of the Snake, according to Chinese astrology. With it, Sydney springs to life with colourful, traditional lion dances and street festivals scattered all over the city from this week until February 12.
This year, Lunar New Year starts on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
Chinese New Year typically lasts for 15 days each year, but most of the performances and celebrations around Sydney run up until February 9. From now until then, you can expect more than 50 vibrant lion dance performances as well as dragon boats, light installations, cultural performances, live entertainment and street parties.
Over the next few days, Sydney Travel Guide will be bringing you all the best things to do in Sydney to get involved with the Chinese New Year celebrations over the next couple of weeks.
But we know that many locals and visitors are most interested in seeing lion dances in Sydney, so let’s get to that first.
The lion dance is one of the most recognisable aspects of Chinese New Year, performed to symbolise power and wisdom while also bringing good fortune and chasing away evil spirits. The lion dance is typically held as one of the most important traditions each year, bringing good luck and prosperity.
There is an incredible amount of traditional Chinese lion dances scheduled all across Sydney. See the full calendar below to plan ahead.
Best places to watch lion dances in Sydney for Lunar New Year
Sydney’s first lion dance of the year took place on January 19 in Chinatown. But there’s plenty more planned in case you missed it. Here’s the full schedule for 2025.
Tuesday, January 28
- Australia Square, 12pm
- Sky Phoenix, CBD, 6:45pm
- 888 Chinese Restaurant, Beverley Hills, 7pm
- Crown Dragon, Kogarah, 7pm
- The East Chinese Restaurant, Circular Quay, 7:30pm
- Noble House Chinese Restaurant, Eastwood, 7:30pm
- Sze Yup Temple, Glebe, 9:30pm
Wednesday, January 29
- Chinese Garden, Darling Harbour, 10:30pm
- Carlingford Court, 11:30am
- 1 Macquarie Place, Gateway, 12pm
- Asian City Asian Supermarket, Chatswood, 1:30pm
- Campsie RSL, 3pm
- UNSW College, 5pm
- Rhodes Phoenix, 6:30pm
- Crown Dragon, Kogarah, 7pm
- Humphrey Hotel, Hurstville, 7:30pm
- The East Chinese Restaurant, Circular Quay, 7:30pm
Thursday, January 30
- Hurstville Street Parade (various shops), 11:30am
- Lucky Prawn, Marrickville, 7pm
- 888 Chinese Restaurant, Beverly Hills, 7pm
- East Phoenix, 6:45pm
Friday, January 31
- Chaumet Sydney, CBD, 11:30am
- Burwood Council, 5pm
- Burwood Council, 7pm
- Cahil Park, Wolli Creek, 7pm (lion dance on stilts performance)
- Burwood Council, 8:30pm
Saturday, February 1
- Art Gallery, Sydney, 10:30am
- Chinese Garden, Darling Harbour, 10:30am
- Burwood Westfield, 11am
- Anderson St, Chatswood, 12pm (lion dance on stilts performance)
- Costco Casula, 1pm
- Innovation Plaza, South Eveleigh, 1pm (lion dance on poles performance)
- The Valley Plaza, Green Valley, 1pm
- Hurstville Plaza, 3pm
- Hurstville Westfield, 4pm
- Hurstville Plaza, 5pm
- Forest Rd, Hurstville Council Parade, 530pm
- Chatswood Twilight Parade, 7pm
Sunday, February 2
- Carlingford Court, 10:30am
- Mt Druitt Westfield, 11am
- DFS Sydney, 1pm
- Chatswood RSL, 1:30pm
- Lucky Prawn, Marrickville, 2pm
- Lunar Park Sydney, 2:30pm
- Spice Alley, Chippendale, 4pm
Saturday, February 8
- Castlehill Shopping Centre, 11:30am
- Mandarin Centre, 1pm
- Castlehill Plaza, 2pm
- Eastwood Lunar New Year, Eastwood Oval, 4:30pm (lion dance on stilts performance)
- Mascot Woolworths, 6:30pm
Sunday, February 9
- Chinese Gardens, 10:30am
- Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour, 12:30pm
- Chinese Gardens, 3:30pm
What to expect from a Chinese New Year lion dance performance
Chinese lion dances are performed by two dancers in a lion costume, designed in a similar way to a pantomime horse. One dance is the head and front limbs of the lion while the other is the back and hind legs. If you look closely during the performance, you’ll see that dancers’ legs are dressed in the same colour as the lion. The lion head is typically oversized and slightly resembles that of a dragon.
The lion dance is agile, exciting and dynamic, imitating a lion’s various movements with precision. It’s a feat requiring great skill and co-ordination, set to soulful beating drums, crashing cymbals and gongs that constantly vibrate through the air.
Lion Dance workshops for kids
There will be four lion dance workshops for kids over the next few weeks. These only come around when Chinese New Year is on so this is a great way for families to get more deeply involved in Spring Festival.
Lion Dance Kids will be holding the following workshops for little ones who want to learn the art and understand the intricate movements necessary to be involved in these celebrations.
The workshops schedule is as follows.
Artarmon
Where: 139 Artarmon Rd, Artarmon NSW 2064
When: February 3 + February 5, 1pm – 4pm
Price: $108
Redfern
Where: Redfern Town Hall – 73 Pitt St, Redfern
When: February 3 + February 5, 1pm – 4pm
Price: $108
Eastwood
Where: Eastwood Uniting Church – 16 Lakeside Dr, Eastwood
When: February 15 + February 22, 1pm – 4pm
Price: $108
Hurstville
Where: Forest Rd, Hurstville NSW 2220
When: February 12 + 19, 4pm – 7pm
Price: $108
Read more of our Lunar New Year in Sydney concert
- Here are the best places to have Lunar New Year dinner in Sydney
- Sydney is hosting the biggest Dragon Boat Festival in the Southern Hemisphere