Lunar New Year in Houston: Lion Dances, Temples & Where to Celebrate

At a glance

• When: Late January to mid-February; the date shifts annually — check official sites each year
• Where: Citywide — Asiatown (Bellaire Blvd), Downtown, Museum District, Katy
• Cost: Most events free; Space Center Houston included with paid general admission
• Parking: Free lots at CCC and Katy Asian Town; pay garages downtown; METRO accessible at CCC
• Time needed: 2–4 hours for a single festival; a full day for an Asiatown food crawl

Houston celebrates Lunar New Year with free public festivals across the city, anchored by Asiatown's Bellaire Boulevard strip and drawing from the city's Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and broader Asian communities. The date shifts each year with the lunar calendar—typically landing between late January and mid-February—and most of the biggest celebrations are free and run on the weekends nearest the actual new moon.

The Chinese Community Center's annual festival alone draws more than 12,000 people to Asiatown, making it one of the largest free one-day cultural events in Southwest Houston. Across town, lion dancers perform in front of a Saturn V rocket replica at Space Center Houston—a combination found nowhere else on earth.

How we chose

Every event below has a documented history of annual programming, a confirmed operating website, and verified activities. Dates shift slightly each year based on the lunar calendar, so treat any dates mentioned as "typically around" and always check the event's official site before you go.

Where do the lion dances happen in Houston?

Lion dances perform at most major public Lunar New Year events. The most reliable venues are the Chinese Community Center Festival in Asiatown, Asia Society Texas Center in the Museum District, Discovery Green downtown, the Texas Lunar Festival in the Bellaire area, and Space Center Houston in Clear Lake. Each of those venues books trained lion and dragon dance troupes every year, and admission is free at all but Space Center Houston.

Downtown

Discovery Green

Downtown, 1500 McKinney St · free · typically 4–7 p.m. on a Saturday in February

Discovery Green's Lunar New Year celebration brings lion and dragon dancers, Korean traditional performers, and multicultural dance companies to the park's main stage. The event is free and family-friendly, with food and craft vendors on-site. Recurring performers have included Lee's Golden Dragon (lion and dragon dances), Han Narea (Korean traditional dance), and Dance of Asian America. See the Discovery Green guide for parking and transit options.

Best for: Families and visitors staying downtown who want a free, no-ticket introduction to the holiday.

Market Square Park

Downtown, 301 Milam St · free · typically 12–6 p.m., mid-February

Houston's oldest public square hosts an afternoon of lion and dragon dance performances, cultural workshops, live music, and artisan food vendors. The first 300 arrivals typically receive red envelopes with gift vouchers. Parking options are in our downtown parking guide.

Best for: Pairing with a Chinatown restaurant reservation for an evening meal, or adding to a downtown itinerary.

Museum District

Asia Society Texas Center

Museum District, 1370 Southmore Blvd · free · typically 10 a.m.–4 p.m., late January or February

Asia Society Texas has hosted an annual Lunar New Year festival every year since the center opened—the longest-running institutional Lunar New Year celebration in Houston's Museum District. The free public festival opens with lion dancers, then continues with performances across Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean traditions, hands-on arts and crafts, and food vendors. Recent events have drawn up to 5,000 guests.

Select ticketed theater performances may run alongside the free festival. See the Asia Society Texas Center guide and the official site for that year's program.

Best for: A cultural deep-dive spanning multiple traditions under one roof, walkable from Hermann Park.

Asiatown and Southwest Houston

Houston's primary Lunar New Year hub is Asiatown—the dense strip of Asian restaurants, grocers, and businesses along Bellaire Boulevard from roughly Beltway 8 west through Alief. Find the full picture in our Houston Chinatown and Asiatown guide and the best restaurants in Bellaire and Chinatown.

Chinese Community Center (CCC) Lunar New Year Festival

Asiatown / Westchase, 9800 Town Park Dr · free · typically 10 a.m.–4 p.m., a Saturday in February

This is Houston's largest free community-organized Lunar New Year festival, drawing more than 12,000 attendees. The festival has been held annually since 2003. Three program areas run simultaneously: the Dragon and Tiger Stage hosts lion and dragon dances, kung fu demonstrations, and traditional Chinese music; the Good Wishes Arts Center offers calligraphy, origami, and zodiac education; and the Lucky Find Bazaar fills with 50+ vendors selling Asian cuisine, crafts, and gifts. A free shuttle runs every 15 minutes from the Metro Westchase Park & Ride.

Insider tip: Arrive 30 minutes before the lion dance begins—viewing spots along the stage fill up fast, and the procession often moves through the bazaar area where the sightlines are wider.

Best for: The most complete single-event Lunar New Year experience in Houston.

Texas Lunar Festival

Bellaire / Alief area · free · typically 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m., late January or February

The Texas Lunar Festival has run for more than 29 consecutive years—making it the oldest continuously running public Lunar New Year event in Greater Houston, predating every other event on this list. The free program includes concerts, martial arts performances, calligraphy, a magic show, a fashion show, and one of the few events that still incorporates firecrackers. Performances are broadcast on the Southern TV channel STV 21.8.

Best for: A traditional festival atmosphere, including firecracker customs that most Houston events no longer feature.

Teen How Taoist Temple

Near EaDo, 1507 Delano St · free · Lunar New Year Eve and New Year's Day

Teen How Taoist Temple opens its Lunar New Year worship service—called the Wan Sun ceremony—to the public. The ceremony combines spiritual observance with a community feast: lion dances, fireworks, and the distribution of red envelopes mark the celebration, and the temple traditionally serves a community meal to thousands of attendees on the grounds.

This is one of the few places in Houston where you can experience a religious Lunar New Year ceremony, not just a secular festival.

Best for: Understanding the spiritual dimension of the holiday, with lion dances, fireworks, and a blessing ceremony open to the public.

Vietnamese Community Center Tết Festival

Bellaire, 13915 Bellaire Blvd · free · typically a three-day weekend, mid-to-late January or February

The Vietnamese community marks Tết—the Vietnamese Lunar New Year—at the Vietnamese Community Center on Bellaire Boulevard. The festival runs into the evening on Saturday and Sunday, with more than 40 food and craft vendors, cultural performances, and family activities. Hours are typically 5–10 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m.–8 p.m. on Sunday.

Tết and Chinese New Year fall on the same lunar calendar date, so the Bellaire strip often hosts multiple celebrations on the same weekend.

Best for: A Vietnamese-centric Tết celebration, including traditional ceremonial foods like bánh chưng at vendors inside.

Katy

Katy Asian Town LunarFest

Katy, 22541 Grand Circle Blvd · free · typically a two-day weekend in February, 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

Katy Asian Town—sometimes called Houston's second Chinatown—runs the only major Lunar New Year night market in the Greater Houston area. The two-day street festival runs until 9 p.m. (later than any other free Houston Lunar New Year event), with paper lanterns, lion and dragon dancers, food stalls, a five-element activity zone, and a Taste of Asia dining promotion across KAT restaurants. The Asian Chamber of Commerce co-organizes the event annually.

For year-round dining at Katy Asian Town, see the Katy Asian Town restaurant guide.

Best for: The only Lunar New Year event in Houston with a true night-market atmosphere.

Worth the drive: Clear Lake

Space Center Houston

Clear Lake, 1601 NASA Pkwy, Webster · included with general admission · typically two weekend days in February

Space Center Houston holds a Lunar New Year celebration included in its general admission ticket. Lion dance performances by the Rising Dragon dance company take place at the Main Plaza, alongside astronaut presentations and hands-on science activities connecting the lunar calendar's origins to NASA Moon missions.

You'll watch a lion dance performed in front of full-scale Saturn V rocket and Space Shuttle replicas—a pairing available nowhere else. See the full Space Center Houston visitor guide for admission prices and parking details.

Best for: Families combining a NASA visit with a Lunar New Year outing.

What to eat during Lunar New Year in Houston

Lunar New Year food in Houston divides into three main communities, all concentrated along Bellaire Boulevard in Asiatown. Restaurant demand spikes sharply during the New Year window—reserve a table two to three weeks in advance.

Chinese Lunar New Year traditions: Cantonese seafood halls along Bellaire Boulevard feature lobster yi mein (long noodles symbolizing longevity), whole steamed fish presented with head and tail intact (for family reunion and completeness), and live seafood tanks where guests choose their own crab or abalone. The dim sum brunch during New Year week is a major tradition; see our best dim sum in Houston guide for the top spots. Yee sang—a Malaysian-Chinese prosperity toss salad made with raw fish—is tossed tableside by all diners together; the higher the toss, the better the luck.

Vietnamese Tết food: Look for bánh chưng—a square sticky rice cake stuffed with mung beans and seasoned pork, wrapped in banana leaves, and boiled for up to 12 hours—at Bellaire Boulevard specialty bakeries during the two weeks before Tết. It's the defining food of northern Vietnamese New Year tradition and rarely appears outside this window. Southern Vietnamese families make bánh tét, the cylindrical version. Our best Vietnamese restaurants in Houston guide covers year-round spots.

Korean Seollal food: Korean Lunar New Year (Seollal) centers on tteokguk, a rice cake soup eaten to gain a symbolic year of age. Find it at Korean restaurants on Long Point Road and in Asiatown. Our best Korean BBQ in Houston guide has the full neighborhood breakdown, and best boba tea in Houston has the post-meal drink covered.

Etiquette: what to know before you go

Red envelopes: Give red envelopes (hongbao in Mandarin, lì xì in Vietnamese) filled with cash to children and unmarried younger relatives or friends. Use crisp bills in even-dollar amounts; odd amounts are associated with funerals.

At lion dance performances: Don't walk between a lion's front and back legs, don't attempt to lift the lion's head, and don't cross the dance path. The performers have very limited visibility inside the costume.

At temples: Dress modestly—shoulders and knees covered. Remove shoes if directed at the entrance. Don't touch offerings on altars, and follow the flow of the ceremony.

Color: Wear red, orange, pink, or other bright colors. Avoid white, which is associated with mourning in Chinese and Vietnamese traditions.

Greetings: The most common phrases are: Mandarin — "Gong xi fa cai" (wishing you great wealth); Cantonese — "Gung hay fat choy"; Vietnamese — "Chúc mừng năm mới" (Happy New Year); Korean — "새해 복 많이 받으세요" (Saehae bok mani badeuseyo, receive many blessings in the new year).

Save this: Lunar New Year in Houston checklist

• Look up the Lunar New Year date each year — it lands between January 21 and February 20
• Reserve restaurant tables in Asiatown two to three weeks ahead
• Arrive at lion dance shows 30 minutes early; viewing spots fill up fast
• Bring cash — most festival food vendors don't take cards
• Wear red or bright colors; avoid white
• Bring small bills for red envelopes if you're with friends who have children
• Pick up bánh chưng from a Bellaire Blvd bakery in the two weeks before Tết — they sell out

More Houston festivals and food

Lunar New Year is one of the city's most culturally distinctive celebrations. Find other annual events in our Houston festivals by month guide, explore year-round Asiatown dining in our Chinatown and Asiatown guide, and browse the best Chinese food in Houston for a deeper look at what Bellaire Boulevard serves all year.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

When is Lunar New Year in Houston?

The date shifts every year based on the lunar calendar, falling between January 21 and February 20. Houston's public festivals run on the one or two weekends nearest the actual new moon. Check the Chinese Community Center (ccchouston.org) or Asia Society Texas (asiasociety.org/texas) for confirmed annual dates each year.

Is Lunar New Year the same as Chinese New Year?

Lunar New Year is the broader term for the holiday as observed across East and Southeast Asian cultures—including Chinese, Vietnamese (Tết), and Korean (Seollal) communities. All three traditions mark the same lunar calendar new moon. In Houston, all three communities celebrate, often in overlapping events along Bellaire Boulevard.

What is the biggest Lunar New Year event in Houston?

The Chinese Community Center (CCC) Lunar New Year Festival in Asiatown is the largest single free community-organized event, drawing more than 12,000 attendees. Asia Society Texas Center's free festival is the largest institutional event, drawing approximately 5,000 guests at recent events. The Texas Lunar Festival is the oldest, with more than 29 consecutive years.

Where is Houston's Chinatown?

Houston's original Chinatown is along Bellaire Boulevard in the Bellaire and Alief areas of Southwest Houston, between Beltway 8 and the Westpark Tollway. This strip—also called Asiatown—holds the highest concentration of Chinese, Vietnamese, and other Asian restaurants and businesses in the city and is the center of most Lunar New Year activity.

What food is traditional at Lunar New Year in Houston?

Chinese tradition centers on long noodles (yi mein symbolizing longevity), whole fish, and dim sum—found at Cantonese seafood halls on Bellaire Blvd. Vietnamese families make bánh chưng and bánh tét (stuffed sticky rice cakes) and eat pho in large family servings. Korean Seollal tradition calls for tteokguk (rice cake soup eaten to symbolically gain a year of age).

Do I need tickets for Houston Lunar New Year events?

Most major events are free, including the CCC Festival, Texas Lunar Festival, Discovery Green, Market Square Park, Asia Society Texas Center's outdoor festival, and Katy Asian Town LunarFest. Space Center Houston's Lunar New Year programming is included in paid general admission; check spacecenter.org for current pricing.