Overview
With the Year of the Horse officially kicking off soon, Melbourne's Lunar New Year festivities are popping up right across the city. You can join huge street parties in Chinatown, indulge in special banquets with lion dances and prizes, and buy some extra-special treats made just for the occasion.
However hard you want to go this year when celebrating Lunar New Year — whether you decide to stay in or go all out with a luxe night out on the town — this guide will have you sorted with heaps of the best bits. Check it all out here.
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Chinatown Lunar New Year Festival
Chinatown is going big this Lunar New Year, closing off Little Bourke Street (between Swanston Street and Exhibition Street) on Sunday, February 22, for a massive street party. During the day, you can expect to find plenty of food stalls, restaurant dining deals, a dragon parade, live music and a pop-up beer garden. The official party lasts from 10am–10pm, but the street will be closed to cars until 2am.
You can easily keep the party going by hitting up these late-night dining spots, dumpling houses, ramen joints, and Melbourne CBD diners.
Quang Minh Tet Festival
Quang Minh Temple is an important spiritual centre in Melbourne's West. And its annual Tet Festival provides a really brilliant opportunity for the local community, Vietnamese, Chinese Buddhists and non-Buddhists to come together and explore and experience the beauty and richness of Lunar and Buddhist traditional celebrations.
This year's Quang Minh Tet Festival includes cultural performances and firecrackers, displays, rides, chanting, vegetarian food and midnight fireworks, which mark the beginning of the new lunar year. It's running from Monday, February 16–Tuesday, February 17, and is a truly special Melbourne Lunar New Year event.
Sunshine Lunar New Year Festival
You don't have to run into the CBD for Lunar New Year celebrations this year, with plenty of local councils running their own festivities. And one that always goes off is found over in Sunshine. It's running from 12–10 pm on Sunday, February 8.
This year's festival is similar to previous years, featuring live entertainment, red pocket giveaways, street performers, face-painting, lion and dragon dancing, fireworks, indoor and outdoor dining options, kids' rides and plenty of market stalls. They're going out all year, closing off Hampshire Road for the whole day.
Vietnamese TET Lunar New Year Festival
The Vietnamese Community in Australia (Victoria Chapter)'s TET festival returns to Footscray Park this February with a free two-day program packed with performances, exhibits, food, fireworks and activities for all ages. You'll find most of the fun over at Footscray Park from Saturday. February 28–Sunday, March 1.
St Albans Lunar New Year
Head to Melbourne's West to catch the St Albans Lunar New Year Festival — the city's largest and longest-running Lunar New Year Festival. First held in 1998, this free multicultural shindig has become a sprawling annual tradition, taking over Alfrieda Street from 10am–10pm on Sunday, January 18.
On the agenda are traditional lion and dragon dances, alongside live music and cultural performances led by local and emerging artists. There's also non-stop tasty bites at street food stands and market stalls, as well as carnival rides for the kids. At 9.30pm, the sky comes to life with a family-friendly fireworks display.
Ari Hatzis
Lunar New Year at Aru
Make your Lunar New Year celebrations extra auspicious by dining on a quartet of new dishes at Aru, crafted just for the occasion. Available from Monday, February 16–Saturday, February 28, these elevated additions to the already innovative menu will ideally enhance your good fortune and prosperity for the year ahead.
Dine on Ora King Salmon yee sangs, showcasing fresh salmon, raw Japanese scallops and smoked Yarra Valley salmon caviar, while a whole butterflied rainbow trout is grilled head to tail and served alongside two sambals. Pre-orders for both are essential 48 hours before your reservation.
Also available at Aru over Lunar New Year are limited quantities of prawn and scallop shui jiao, served with a smoked soy dressing, chilli oil and brown butter. Meanwhile, wok-tossed longevity noodles, made with spring onion, fried shrimp and garlic chives, round out this festive menu.
Lunar New Year Banquet at Spice Temple
In typical Spice Temple style, the restaurant is pulling out all the stops for Lunar New Year 2026. Ramping up the symbolism of every dish from Monday, February 9–Tuesday, March 3, this LNY culinary journey is designed to grant guests a little more luck and love.
The menu features a host of highlights, with bright ocean trout yee sang, followed by greenlip abalone with black oscietra caviar, festive seafood, smoky longevity noodles and Berkshire pork belly, all capturing a sense of new beginnings. Before the feast is complete, guests will round out their celebration with a Chinese date crème caramel.
What's more, every banquet guest will receive an auspicious red packet, symbolising luck and gratitude and putting them in good standing until the Lunar New Year returns.
Alex Squadrito
Lunar New Year at From Here by Mike
If you missed the news, one of the most exciting restaurant openings of 2025 was From Here by Mike — Chef Mike McEnearney's collaboration with 1 Hotel Melbourne. With the produce-driven restaurant now firmly established, the kitchen is serving a series of LNY specials from Tuesday, February 17–Saturday, February 21.
Inspired by traditional Lunar New Year cuisine and the holiday's fascinating symbolism, McEnearney and the team have reimagined these ideas through the lens of the restaurant's commitment to honest, veggie-focused flavours.
Available for lunch or dinner, these are four specials to explore, such as the fire horse noodles, featuring egg noodles tossed with spanner crab, black beans and soy butter, and beef short ribs in master stock, finished in a comfort-inducing combo of charred wombok, orange and star anise.
Lunar New Year Yum Cha at David's Restaurant
David's is welcoming in the Year of the Horse with a classic Lunar New Year Yum Cha event. Held on Saturday, February 21, a fortuitous menu will span several of the much-loved Chinese restaurant's dishes alongside seasonal specials whipped up just for the day.
To name just a few of the dishes guests can expect, this familiar yum cha feast includes Shanghai xiao long bao, pan-fried barbecue bao, and chilli honey chicken. And to finish? David's is serving up its signature white chocolate dumplings.
Keen to book? There are two seating options available on LNY: the 11.15am session offers an easygoing way to celebrate the day, while the 1.30pm session adds a high-energy lion dance later in the afternoon to take the experience up a notch.
Chinese New Year at Moondrop
You won't find many better venues than Fitzroy's Moondrop to celebrate Chinese New Year, with this recently opened Shanghainese-inspired cocktail bar hosting festivities for the entire month. Running every day throughout February, Red Envelope of Fortune sees the first 17 guests each day receive an envelope with special perks, such as free dumplings and cocktails.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, February 17, Moondrop will burst to life with the Chinese New Year Lion Dance Performance. Featuring a special cocktail menu, co-owner Jesse Kourmouzis has produced a series of fascinating drinks shaped by traditional Chinese flavours and ingredients, from Baijiu to MSG and imported tea.
Closing out the event, guests can also get down to Moondrop to experience the first of its monthly mahjong nights on Sunday, February 28. If you're excited to test your skills, the buy-in is $20 per person, with the winner of each table scoring themselves an $80 bar tab.
Chinese New Year Feast at Sleepy's Cafe & Wine Bar
Sleepy's Cafe & Wine Bar is leaning into Chinese New Year fun, returning with its annual feast on Saturday, February 20. Playing on the themes of luck and abundance, this one-night-only experience spans seven courses that ring in the Year of the Horse in style.
Available for $75 per person, with limited space for walk-ins, highlights include pork and prawn-stuffed tofu, Peking duck pancakes with plum sauce, and chicken congee with century egg and chilli.
Lunar New Year at QV Melbourne
There's no shortage of ways to celebrate LNY at QV Melbourne. Inspired by the best of Chinese takeaway, the Happy Horse Noodle Bar invites guests to step inside a giant noodle box, complete with tasty traditional dishes. Think the signature KL hokkien mee from Malaysian street food restaurant EatAlley, or spring rolls from Sichuan eatery Dainty Sichuan.
Plus, QV is featuring a series of action-packed LNY performances from Monday, February 16–Tuesday, February 17 and Saturday, February 21–Sunday, February 22. Expect lion dances, dragon dances, and martial artists from the Chinese Masonic Society, ensuring an entertaining experience for the whole family.
Lunar New Year Celebration at The Glen and Box Hill Central
The festive spirit will be sky-high at The Glen and Box Hill Central, as a series of family-friendly experiences celebrate the colour and culture befitting the Year of the Horse. Get a glimpse of what lies ahead with horoscope readings, or give your hopes for the year the best chance of becoming a reality by hanging them on the wishing tree.
Both shopping centres will also feature glowing art installations designed by Chinese-Australian artist Chrissy Lau, while a gold-coin feature symbolises prosperity, health and success. And for those heading along to Box Hill Central, a special Lantern Festival is happening from Friday, February 27–Wednesday, March 4.
Lunar New Year High Tea at Dorsett Melbourne
Pairing high tea with LNY celebrations, luxe CBD stay Dorsett Melbourne has teamed up with T6 Patisserie to deliver a different kind of Year of the Horse experience. Featuring a curated selection of sweet and savoury treats, both culinary teams have combined to bring an Asian-inspired twist to artisan French desserts.
On the sweet end of the spectrum, expect mandarin and jasmine mousse, Cantonese-style mango pudding, and yuzu milk chocolate tart. For something savoury, it's all about pork char siu, roasted Peking duck wraps and mini tofu banh mi. At the same time, sip on jasmine green tea or explore a range of alcoholic beverages.
Lunar New Year Banquet at Ministry of Crab
Launched 15 years ago in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Ministry of Crab quickly rose to prominence, celebrating the country's legendary mud crab cuisine. Now, after multiple outposts spawned across Asia, Ministry of Crab has officially touched down with a brand-new Flinders Lane location, bringing a new edge to the historic Invicta House.
For Lunar New Year, the acclaimed restaurant is serving abundance, flavour and celebration in droves, with three banquet options available from Monday, February 16–Sunday, February 22. Besides lobster rolls, chilli prawn noodles, and coconut creme brulee, guests can also add yee sang for an even more auspicious dining.
Lunar New Year at Preston Market
Preston Market: it's where culture, community and food come together all year round. But with the arrival of the Lunar New Year, the festivities are looking more vibrant than usual. On Sunday, February 8, the market is welcoming the Year of the Horse with a family-friendly celebration spanning traditional performances, live music, kids' activities, pop-up stalls and more.
Running from 9am–2pm, the day kicks off with a Cai Shen stilt walker, followed by face changers, magicians and a captivating lion dance roaming through the space. Alongside store blessings, Qigong breathing sessions, stellar performances and the Chinese Melbourne Choir, kids can take part in a fan-decorating class. Plus, there are loads of delicious bites and sips.
Top image: Yum Sing House.