Greet the Lunar New Year With in-Person and Virtual Celebrations and Activities
There is still plenty to do this week and upcoming weekend to celebrate the start of a new calendar year.

A lion dancer from Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s 2021 Lunar New Year celebration. Photo via Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
Another year has passed, and so begins the first week of the Chinese lunisolar calendar.
Following the cycle of the moon, this year’s calendar ushers in the Year of the Tiger, which comes roaring in as the borough still grapples with the effects of winter storm Kenan.
Last weekend’s nor’easter may have forced some organizations to reschedule their Lunar New Year events, but there is still plenty to do this week and upcoming weekend in Brooklyn to celebrate the start of a new calendar year.
Brooklyn Public Library
Virtual and in person, locations vary
February 1 to 5
As always, the borough’s big book lender has a slate of cultural programming for the holiday, offering virtual and in-person events at Brooklyn branches all week long. With crafts, stories, performances and watercolor painting courses, the whole family can usher in the Year of the Tiger together at their nearest Brooklyn Public Library.
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
145 Brooklyn Avenue, Crown Heights
Saturday February 5, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m to 5 p.m.
Get your kids in the holiday spirit this Saturday with a day of fun at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. The institution’s Lunar New Year all-day extravaganza will include a Chinese calligraphy workshop, storytelling and a rooftop lion dance parade all packed into two separate session — one in the morning and another in the afternoon.
Garden Party at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
58 7th Avenue, Park Slope
Saturday February 5, 3 to 5 p.m.
Kick in the Lunar New Year with a celebration at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Garden. The afternoon affair will include traditional and contemporary Chinese music, crafts, calligraphy and more. The rescheduled event will no longer feature lion dancers, but organizers promise to soon release new and exciting activities in their place.
Lunar New Year, Local Roots Style
Local Roots Market and Cafe
398 Court Street, Carroll Gardens
Saturday, February 5, 2 to 5 p.m.
Yummy food on Lunar New Year is traditionally thought to bring luck, prosperity and good fortune for the year ahead. With that in mind, you can join the new Carroll Gardens Market and Cafe this weekend for a reimagined Lunar New Year celebration (and smorgasbord) including lion dancers, a performance by Chinese drag queen Ms. Juicy Liu and a dumpling party. While supplies last, children will also be gifted red envelopes with gift cards to the eatery.
Free at-home activities from the Museum of Chinese in America
Virtual
February 4 to 11, times vary
The Museum of Chinese in America is hosting a week of free virtual events suited for the whole family with something new every day. The activities include crafts, cooking, performances and meet-and-greets.
Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.
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