--- title: "Chinese New Year" description: "Lunar New Year celebrations centered on Bangkok's Yaowarat (Chinatown), with lion dances, firecrackers, street feasts and red lanterns for days on end." url: https://bestofthailand.org/festivals/chinese-new-year locale: en --- # Chinese New Year Lunar New Year celebrations centered on Bangkok's Yaowarat (Chinatown), with lion dances, firecrackers, street feasts and red lanterns for days on end. Next dates 6 February 2027 6 February 2027 Set by the Chinese lunar calendar: Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, landing on Saturday 6 February 2027 (the start of the Year of the Goat). Celebrations conventionally begin the evening before, on New Year's Eve (5 February 2027), and continue for several days. ## History & meaning Chinese New Year isn't an official Thai national holiday, but Thailand has one of the largest ethnic Chinese populations outside China, and generations of intermarriage mean the festival is woven deeply into Thai culture — especially in Bangkok, where the Chinese-Thai community has centered on Yaowarat (Chinatown) since the late 18th century. The festival marks the start of the lunar calendar year and traditionally centers on family reunion, ancestor veneration, and driving away bad luck for the year ahead — historically embodied by the mythical beast Nian, which is why fireworks, drums and the color red (all said to frighten it off) remain central to the celebrations. ## What to expect Yaowarat Road closes to traffic and becomes a river of people, red lanterns and street-food stalls serving shark fin soup, bird's nest soup, roast duck and other festival specialties late into the night. Lion and dragon dance troupes weave through the crowds and into shops for luck, accompanied by cymbals and drums, while firecrackers punctuate the evening. Shrines and temples throughout Chinatown — Wat Mangkon Kamalawat foremost among them — fill with people making offerings and burning incense for good fortune in the coming year. Many Chinese-Thai families also spend the day visiting relatives, giving red envelopes (ang pao) of money to children, and wearing new red clothing. ## Practical tips - Go early evening on the main night — Yaowarat Road becomes extremely crowded and slow-moving as the night goes on, so arrive by early evening to actually move through it. - Expect loud, sudden firecrackers at close range near the lion dance troupes — keep small children back a little if noise is a concern. - Many Chinatown restaurants require reservations or have long queues during the festival — book ahead if you want a sit-down meal rather than street food. - Wear something red if you want to join the spirit of the day — it's considered lucky and you'll see it everywhere. - The MRT Wat Mangkon station puts you right in the middle of Yaowarat and is far less stressful than trying to drive or taxi in on the night. ## Where to experience it Bangkok's Yaowarat (Chinatown) is unquestionably the place to be — Yaowarat Road closes to traffic for a night of lion dances, lanterns, firecrackers and street food, centered around Wat Mangkon Kamalawat temple. It's easily reached on the MRT Blue Line to Wat Mangkon station. [Yaowarat (Chinatown) guide](https://bestofthailand.org/bangkok/yaowarat) · [Where to eat nearby](https://bestofthailand.org/eat-drink) · [What's on in Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/events) ## Frequently asked questions **When is Chinese New Year 2027?** Saturday, 6 February 2027, the start of the Year of the Goat. Chinese New Year's Eve, when many families gather for a reunion dinner, falls the evening before on 5 February 2027. **Is Chinese New Year a public holiday in Thailand?** Not nationally, though some provinces with large Chinese-Thai communities, and many private Chinese-Thai-owned businesses, do close or shorten hours. Bangkok's Yaowarat district holds Thailand's most prominent public celebrations regardless. **Where is the best place to celebrate Chinese New Year in Bangkok?** Yaowarat (Chinatown) is by far the best — Yaowarat Road closes to traffic for a night of lion dances, lanterns, firecrackers and street food, centered around Wat Mangkon Kamalawat temple. **How long do Chinese New Year celebrations last?** The main public celebrations in Yaowarat run for about three days around the New Year itself, though the traditional Chinese festival period continues for 15 days, ending with the Lantern Festival at the first full moon of the new lunar year. **What should I eat during Chinese New Year in Yaowarat?** Look for roast duck and goose, dim sum, bird's nest soup, and festival sweets like nian gao (sticky rice cake) — Yaowarat's street stalls and restaurants put on special festival menus for the occasion. ## Where to stay for Chinese New Year [See all →](https://bestofthailand.org/directory/hotels-resorts) Yaowarat Road closes to traffic for the night and the MRT Blue Line is how most people leave afterwards, so a hotel near a Blue Line station beats one near the parade. 173 listed in Bangkok under Hotels & Resorts; the 6 shown here average 4.8 across 13,190 Google reviews. **[Mandarin Oriental Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/place/mandarin-oriental-bangkok)** — ![Mandarin Oriental Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-hotels-resorts-1.webp)Featured — 4.8 — Hotels & Resorts · Riverside — ฿฿฿฿ — The grande dame of Bangkok hotels since 1876 — legendary riverside luxury and service. **[Feel Good Bangkok Hostel](https://bestofthailand.org/place/feel-good-bangkok-hostel-667ee4)** — ![Feel Good Bangkok Hostel](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-hotels-resorts-4.webp) — 4.9 — Hotels & Resorts · Thonburi — ฿฿Free Wi-Fi — Arun Amarin's Soi Somdej Pra Pinklao 17 is the location of Feel Good Bangkok Hostel, a budget hostel in Thonburi with free Wi-Fi provided for every room. **[AREA81 HIDEOUT Hostel Khaosan](https://bestofthailand.org/place/area81-hideout-hostel-khaosan-8db8b1)** — ![AREA81 HIDEOUT Hostel Khaosan](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-hotels-resorts-1.webp) — 4.9 — Hotels & Resorts · Khao San — ฿฿Free Wi-Fi — Bar space and hostel beds share the building at AREA81 HIDEOUT Hostel on Tani Road in Talat Yot, part of the Khao San district, with free Wi-Fi included. **[Public House Hotel Bangkok, a Member of Design Hotels](https://bestofthailand.org/place/public-house-hotel-bangkok-a-member-of-design-hotels-199158)** — ![Public House Hotel Bangkok, a Member of Design Hotels](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-hotels-resorts-5.webp) — 4.8 — Hotels & Resorts · Sukhumvit — ฿฿฿฿LGBTQ+ friendlyFree Wi-Fi — 249 Sukhumvit 31 in Khlong Tan Nuea is the address for Public House Hotel Bangkok, a Design Hotels member with free Wi-Fi in the Sukhumvit district. **[Siam Subway Hostel and Café bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/place/siam-subway-hostel-and-cafe-bangkok-56ef33)** — ![Siam Subway Hostel and Café bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-hotels-resorts-7.webp) — 4.8 — Hotels & Resorts · Rattanakosin (Old City) — ฿฿฿Free Wi-Fi — Wang Burapha Phirom's Soi Sam Yot is home to Siam Subway Hostel and Café, combining hostel beds with a coffee shop and free Wi-Fi in Rattanakosin. **[Happy Station Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/place/happy-station-bangkok-6768e2)** — ![Happy Station Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/images/pool/cat-hotels-resorts-6.webp) — 4.8 — Hotels & Resorts · Siam (Pathum Wan) — ฿฿฿Free Wi-Fi — Rama IV Road in Rong Mueang leads to Happy Station Bangkok, a hotel in the Siam Pathum Wan district with free Wi-Fi included in every room booked. Pulled from our directory when this page was last rebuilt: featured and Verified listings first, then by rating weighted for how many reviews it rests on. ## Getting there, and what else is on Yaowarat closes to traffic for it, so arrive by MRT rather than by taxi: [getting around Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/getting-around) has the line and the fare. The same street is the densest stretch of [street food](https://bestofthailand.org/street-food) in the city on any other night of the year. If the dates land inside the next few days, [this weekend in Bangkok](https://bestofthailand.org/this-weekend) compiles it alongside the dated events, the openings and the three-day forecast; for the trip around it, [planning a Thailand holiday](https://bestofthailand.org/holidays) works backwards from the season to the booking. ## Other Thai festivals **[Phuket Vegetarian Festival](https://bestofthailand.org/festivals/vegetarian-festival)** — Nine days of Taoist ritual purification in Phuket — white-clad processions, street shrines and, for a small number of participants, dramatic acts of self-mortification. **[Songkran](https://bestofthailand.org/festivals/songkran)** — Thailand's New Year and the world's biggest water fight — three days of street-soaking, temple visits and family blessings, every 13–15 April. [← All Thailand festivals](https://bestofthailand.org/festivals) Best of Thailand https://bestofthailand.org/festivals/chinese-new-year Scan or type the address for opening hours, phone numbers and the map.