Lunar New Year 2019 at the Art Gallery of NSW

Overview

After the craziness of the festive season, your calendar is probably looking fairly clear now. But the Art Gallery of NSW is determined to fill it, for the next week at least, with a slew of Lunar New Year-related events.

Head there after work on Wednesday, February 6 to catch a traditional lion dance at 6pm before writer-raconteur Benjamin Law chews the fat with foodie Adam Liaw about art, travel and cuisine for an in-conversation event at 6.30pm. Later in the evening, kick back with a drink while you listen to singer-songwriter Sophie Koh's jazzy pop tunes inspired by Chinese poetry. There'll also be calligraphy demonstrations (make sure to pick up an auspicious phrase to take home for good luck), and you can catch gallery's new blockbuster exhibition Heaven and Earth in Chinese Art: Treasures from the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

But that's definitely not all. You can also celebrate the Year of the Pig with a special dinner on Friday, February 8 ($220 per person), take in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony on Saturday, February 9 or dress in your brightest duds and go on an auspicious symbols tour — where you'll learn about the words and symbols that will bring good fortune, prosperity, happiness and longevity — on Sunday, February 17. And, if you're there on Sunday morning, keep an eye out for Caishen, the god of prosperity, who'll be roaming around and giving out red packets filled with auspcious messages for the year ahead. We're guessing that calendar is looking a little busier now, right?

For more information on the Art Gallery of NSW's Lunar New Year program, visit the website.