Australia Day 2025Credit: Destination NSW
Australia Day in Sydney has proudly placed accessibility and inclusion at the forefront of the event program to ensure everyone can participate. Australia Day in Sydney 2025 will include initiatives such as haptic vests for Deaf guests to ‘feel’ the beat at the Australia Day Live concert, Auslan interpreters at events, access to quiet rooms, as well as wheelchair basketball and a silent disco activation for people with physical, sensory or cognitive disability.
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Australia Day 2025 program Unveiled for Sydney to Reflect, Respect and Celebrate
Australia Day 2025 Credit: Destination NSW
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Chinese New Year Lantern Festival 2018, SydneyCredit: Destination NSW
Chinese lanterns on display at the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival, Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour.
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Sydney welcomes the Year of the Snake – a symbol of rebirth, transformation and new beginnings – in spectacular style, with a number of Lunar New Year events across the city. A celebration for many cultures, including Sydney’s Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysian and Korean communities, this year's Lunar New Year falls on 29 January, with the city hosting an exciting number of events from 29 January – 16 February. Think street parades, lion dancing, huge lanterns, pop-up markets, art installations and plenty of delicious food.
Celebrations in Chinatown and the CBD
Watch the colourful Lion Dances take over the city streets from Town Hall to Darling Quarter across the festival days, and enjoy live entertainment, roving performers, market stalls and food trucks in the laneways of Haymarket at Sydney Lunar Streets on 1 February.
Visit the Chinese Garden of Friendship for tea ceremonies, fortune readings, a Twilight Garden Party and more, and continue your journey to Darling Harbour for entertainment, lion dances and the Dragon Boat Festival from 7 – 9 February.
Watch beautiful cultural dances for free from Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean community groups at Lunar Spectacular at Centennial Hall. And visit the Sydney Opera House for events like the Lunar New Year's Eve Gala or the Lunar New Year Concert by the Hong Kong String Orchestra.
Check out Lunar New Year-themed artwork across the city: 12 beautiful four-metre-tall zodiac lanterns will be peppered through Haymarket and George Street; an installation of a family of snakes sliding along Dixon Street; a tribute to Thai, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese culture via four traditional hand-painted Lunar Gateways that will be illuminated at night; and the Art Gallery of NSW’s new exhibition Cao Fei: My City is Yours by the acclaimed multimedia Beijing artist.
Kids can immerse themselves in the culture of the festival with free Rattle Drum Workshops, making their own traditional ‘bo’ to chase away bad spirits, or join a two-day Lion Dance Class.
And celebrate the Year of the Snake from the top of Sydney Harbour with a special BridgeClimb to the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which includes a Mandarin-speaking guide and a post-climb drink.
Lunar New Year, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Young girl places a red packet into the mouth of the dragon in Chinatown, Sydney during Chinese New Year 2018.
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Lunar New Year, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Young girl places a red packet into the mouth of the dragon in Chinatown, Sydney during Chinese New Year 2018.
Chinatown & Haymarket | Taste of Australia with Hayden Quinn: Sydney Edition Credit: Destination NSW
Chinese Garden of Friendship
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Chinatown & Haymarket | Taste of Australia with Hayden Quinn: Sydney Edition Credit: Destination NSW
Chinese Garden of Friendship
Lunar New Year feasts
Eating delicious traditional meals with family and friends is an important part of Lunar New Year celebrations, and there are plenty of ways to feast in Sydney’s CBD. Many restaurants across the city will have Lunar New Year menus or specials, try recently reopened Spice Temple, the new iteration of local favourite Golden Century in The Crown opening in February, yum cha at one of these 12 favourites, or celebrate at the Sydney Opera House with a Lunar New Year Dinner with Luke Nguyen.
Food tours are a great way to connect in a deeper way with the culture and history around Chinatown. Local Sauce Tours has a Street Food & Stories tour that includes snack tastings from some of the best restaurants; Taste Cultural Food Tours has a Taste of Chinatown tour that includes tastings and a traditional Chinese tea ceremony; and Mia Cucina offers a Chinese Food Tour complete with a yum cha feast.
Snack your way through Dixon Street at the Chinatown Markets, held every Friday, or join a special Lunar New Year edition of Tasty Trivia, held at the Terminus Hotel in Pyrmont on 3 February.
Lunar New Year, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Chinatown gates on Dixon Street, Sydney.
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Lunar New Year, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Chinatown gates on Dixon Street, Sydney.
Celebrations in the suburbs
It’s not just the CBD that will be celebrating the Year of the Snake – explore Sydney's Asian diasporas across the city to join local celebrations with the community. In Burwood, there will be a Lunar New Year Street Party and fireworks on 31 January. Other days find a cultural festival in Burwood Park, giveaways and performances in Burwood Chinatown, and kids' arts and crafts in Burwood Library.
Across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Chatswood find an engaging Snake Trail of artistic snake sculptures; an all-day street festival; a calligraphy workshop; the Golden Market every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday offering a variety of activities and entertainment; and Celebration Day on 1 February, where visitors can enjoy a spectacular lantern parade and browse vibrant market stalls along Victoria Avenue.
Parramatta joins the Lunar New Year festivities on 1 February, offering an exciting program of events for all ages. Visitors can marvel at high pole lion dancing and a firecracker display, roll up their sleeves for interactive dumpling workshops, and enjoy playful fortune cookies. Dive into tradition with Chinese horoscope readings and tea-tasting ceremonies, or explore modern culture with a lively K-Pop workshop. With something for everyone, Parramatta’s celebration promises a vibrant addition to Sydney’s Lunar New Year calendar.
In Cabramatta, a vibrant hub with a large Vietnamese community, there will be lion dances from 29 January, culminating in an all-day celebration on 15 February filled with cultural performances, traditional food, and family-friendly activities. Eastwood will be hosting its Lunar New Year festival on 8 February, Hurstville will celebrate on 1 February, and Bankstown throws their party ahead of the festival on 18 January.
Chinatown, Burwood Credit: Destination NSW
Couple exploring Chinatown in Burwood
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Chinatown, Burwood Credit: Destination NSW
Couple exploring Chinatown in Burwood
Where to stay during Sydney’s Lunar New Year
Capella Sydney is an urban sanctuary within a heritage building in Sydney’s CBD, and will be hosting special Lunar New Year celebrations during the period. Find lion dancing, a tea ceremony and calligraphy session, and delicious Lunar New Year afternoon tea menus.