Vancouver Chinese New Year Celebrations 2013

Gong Hei Fat Choi! Celebrate the Year of the Snake with Asian traditions, arts, culture, entertainment, and food

The Chinese Lunar calendar begins February 10 and, along with it, multi-cultural Chinese New Year celebrations events around town until the 24th. If you have an event to share, post it in our comments section. Planning to celebrate over dim sum? Check out our newbies’ guide to dim sum if you need a few tips.

Year of the Snake Expo, Vancouver — Jan. 31-Feb. 3

BC Place Stadium will transform into a Chinese village for the Year of the Snake Expo where consumers will experience true Chinese heritage. Enjoy authentic cuisine, shop for specialty items, and catch a live performance. Prizes and Chinese New Year lucky charm giveaways will take place every day. Highlights include: celebrity guest appearances, traditional lion dancing and singing, and a fashion show featuring Hong Kong models. Tickets and event hours.

Celebration of the Snake at Aberdeen Centre, Richmond — Feb. 6-11

Aberdeen Centre has planned vibrant and energetic celebrations for the Year of the Snake from a Flower & Gift Fair to a countdown night to Chinese New Year. Highlights include Golden Dragon and Lion Dance, and more. Look for red lions camouflaged within the thousands of red lanterns hung throughout the mall.

Vancouver Spring Show, Vancouver — Feb. 9

The 3rd Annual Vancouver Spring Show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, brings together celebrated international artists, directors, designers, and choreographers for a spectacular one-night show to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Artists from varying performance backgrounds such as Cirque du Soleil, “The Voice” China, and Canadian Idol come together in Vancouver to collaborate. Performances also include: Sons of Granville, Wang Yu Yie, Will Blunderfield, Silu Xi, Karen Pitkethly, Lucy Xu, and The Faculty.

7:30 pm, purchase tickets online or call 604-357-4746 (or toll free 1-800-715-1945).

RCCS Lunar New Year Celebrations, Richmond — Feb. 10 & 16

The Richmond Chinese Community Society is hosting two Lunar New Year Celebrations in Richmond. The multicultural performances range from the Lion Dance, Chinese Opera, Hip Hop Dance, Folk Dance, Kung Fu, and Taekwondo along with booths for Chinese calligraphies and crafts sales. RCCS will donate all its sales to the Richmond Food Bank. The Lion Dance Celebration at Richmond Centre, February 10 at 1:00 pm; Lansdowne Centre, February 16 from 11am-5pm. For inquiries call 604-270-7222.

CIBC LunarFest Lantern Jungle, Vancouver — Feb. 15-17

The three-day CIBC LunarFest 2013 brings “Lantern Jungle” to the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery to celebrate the beginning of the Lunar New Year. Highlights include: snake lanterns, lion dancers representing China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and India, plus trivia, a fortune teller and games for everyone. The Dumpling Fest (new this year) features dumplings from various Asian countries.

CIBC LunarFest celebrates contemporary expression in Asian arts and culture, featuring pieces by Taiwanese visual artists Bruce Pai and Ching-Chan Lin. Entertainment performances include: Eastern Legends, a six-person Taiwanese band, drumming by Darma Drum Mountain’s Vancouver chapter, and Korean-folk dance. Free event; Check online for performance schedule.

Chinese New Year Parade, Vancouver — Feb. 17

Join more than 50,000 spectators for the 40th Chinese New Year Parade, one of Vancouver’s largest parades. Peformace highlights include: the largest assembly of traditional lion dance teams in Canada, cultural dance troupes, marching bands, martial arts groups, Vancouver Police Department Motorcycle Drill Team, and more. The 1.5-kmparade route begins at the Millennium Gate on Pender Street (between Shanghai Alley and Taylor Street) at 11 am.

Year of the Snake Procession, Granville Island, Vancouver — Feb. 10

Granville Island celebrates the Year of the Snake on Feb. 10 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm with a procession through the Public Market, the Net Loft, the Creekhouse, and Railspur Alley (weather permitting for the Creekhouse and Railspur Alley).