The Art of Celebration: Orange County’s Best Lunar New Year Experiences
- Emily Hochberg
- January 13, 2025
We’re already a few weeks into 2025 but there’s still another new year to usher in—the Lunar New Year.
The annual event is tied to the start of the Chinese calendar, which this year falls on January 29. Also known as Spring Festival or the Chinese New Year, many Asian countries and cultures celebrate this holiday in addition to China, including Vietnam and South Korea among others, with each country incorporating their own customs.
The holiday, which dates back over 3,000 years, lasts 16 days and typically takes place between the months of January and February. Each New Year corresponds to a zodiac animal, which rotates over a 12-year period. This year is the snake, which represents being cautious yet cool, with abundant sensitivity and wisdom.
Celebratory events often include special meals, festive parades, and dance troupes, and many will take place here in Orange County. Here are the best area gatherings from family-friendly presentations and events to a city-wide festival with fireworks.
Chinese New Year at Disney California Adventure Park
Ring in a magical New Year at Disney in January and February with special menus celebrating Asian cuisine, character appearances in themed dress, festive decor, crafts and activities, and scheduled events. Don’t miss Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession, a parade of characters and performers held on select days, as well as Hurry Home – A Lunar New Year Celebration, which is a six-minute light and water show accompanied by a musical score from Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun.
Cost: Included with admission
When: January 17 through February 16, 2025
Time: Varies
The city of Santa Ana will host their second annual Lunar New Year Festival, organized together with the Santa Ana Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Agency and the Santa Ana Public Library. This free family-friendly event in Centennial Park will honor Asian cultures and include cultural performances and exhibits, lion and dragon dances, food vendors, a kids zone with inflatables, and culminate with a fireworks show in the evening.
Cost: Free
When: Saturday, January 25, 2025
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Pacific Symphony’s Lunar New Year
The Pacific Symphony will commemorate the Lunar New Year with a ticketed performance at Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. The program, conducted by Music Director Carl St. Clair, will include a magnificent presentation celebrating Eastern and Western cultures through a variety of dances and musical numbers.
Cost: Tickets start at $42.94
When: Saturday, February 1, 2025
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Lunar New Year Festival 2025 – Garden Grove
Steelcraft, an outdoor urban eatery with multiple food vendors, will host their annual Lunar New Year festival this month at their Garden Grove location. Celebrate the year of the snake with a pop-up market, dancers, kids crafts and sensory play, and live music.
Cost: Free
When: Saturday, January 25, 2025
Time: 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
The UVSA Tết Festival bills itself as the largest Vietnamese New Year festival in the United States and this year’s 43rd annual event will celebrate the Year of the Snake, and also commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon. The festival will include a cultural village, live entertainment, games and rides, food vendors, a fireworks show, and a Miss Vietnam of Southern California pageant.
Cost: Tickets start at $8
When: January 31 through February 2, 2025
Time: Friday, January 31: 4:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 1: 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 2: 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Pretend City Children’s Museum Lunar New Year
For a kid-centric celebration, take children to this museum where they’ll be treated to a special event just for them. The Pretend City Children’s Museum will present a cultural performance of music and movement from the Kishin Daiko Drummers who perform Japanese percussive-style drumming, as well as a traditional lion dance.
Cost: Included with admission
When: Saturday, January 25, 2025
Time: 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
For the last 20 years, the city of Westminster has welcomed the new year with a large celebration in the neighborhood of Little Saigon. As in the past, this year will honor the local Vietnamese community with a parade of floats, marching bands, lion dances, cultural attire, and more.
Cost: Free
When: Saturday, February 1, 2025
Time: An opening Ceremony begins at 8:30 a.m. and the parade starts at 9:30 a.m.
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens Lunar New Year Celebration
The Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens in San Clemente provides a wide range of programming for all ages and their weekly “Family Sundays” program will take on a Lunar New Year theme in February. For this special event, the cultural center will offer free admission that day with a celebration set tol include a lion dance as well as arts and craft projects for kids.
Cost: Free
When: Sunday, February 2, 2025
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
For more information on tickets (where applicable) and updates on any of these scheduled events, be sure to check directly with the organizers’ websites, which are all linked above. Additionally, if you do plan to attend a Lunar New Year event, consider wearing unworn clothes (it represents new beginnings), especially if they’re red, which encourages good luck, and eat foods that are considered to be lucky to be blessed with good fortune.
And while there are many different ways and languages to wish someone a happy Lunar New Year, we’ll leave you with “Gong hei fat choy!” which is commonly said in parts of China in Cantonese and translates to, “wishing you great happiness and prosperity.”
Emily Hochberg
Emily Hochberg is a travel and lifestyle writer and editor based in Southern California with over 15 years of experience covering hotels, luxury, destinations, transportation, parenting, style, entertainment, reviews, and much more. She was previously Senior Travel Editor at Business Insider, and has written for Travel + Leisure, The Points Guy, Thrillist, US News & World Report, TODAY, Parents, Apartment Therapy, and many more. For more information on her work and travels, visit her website.
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