Lunar New Year at The Galeries

Overview

The Lunar New Year is nearly upon us, and The Galeries is celebrating the Year of the Pig in a big way. Think competitions, cash prizes, a pop-up food cart, lion dances, art and culture — along with a special degustation lunch.

The main event is The Galeries' six-course feast. Hosted by Masterchef Australia's Callan Smith, the roaming degustation will take place on Saturday, February 2 from 12–3pm. Seven competition winners (and their plus ones) will hit six venues across The Galeries and indulge in a spread of Lunar New Year-inspired dishes. You'll start with a Golden Berries tea from T Totaler, followed by 'piggy' sweet custard buns at Lotus Bar and Dining, 'The Porkaroo' slider at Grill'd and more traditional delights at Jim's Malaysian and Yayoi. The food tour finishes with dessert at NZ Natural — the team have created a pink, pig-shaped macaron sundae for the occasion. Nab a ticket by entering the competition here.

For more Lunar New Year fun, visit the CBD spot between Thursday, January 31 and Saturday, February 9 to test your skills on the 'get lucky' box — the person who guesses the correct number of fortune cookies inside will win a $2000 cash prize. There'll be trays of fortune cookies passed around during this time, too, with traditional blessings inside.

Between February 5–7, Asian-fusion pop-up station Pig Out will be serving up 'lucky' noodle boxes from 5–8pm, featuring edible delights that include Black Star Pastry's famous watermelon cake and Lotus' 'piggy' buns.

Local artists will also be showcased throughout the space, including freelance illustrator Freda Chiu, who created a visual narrative for the Year of the Pig, and a lion dance, presented by the Leung Cheung Martial Arts Academy Inc., that'll take place at 1pm on Tuesday, February 5. Plus, Caishen (the Chinese God of Prosperity) will wander the space giving blessings on Thursday, January 31 from 1pm.

For more information on the Lunar New Year festivities and to enter the competition, head to The Galeries' website.