How to celebrate the Lunar New Year 2021 in London

Cheer on the Chinese New Year parade

Ordinarily, the Lunar New Year celebrations in London’s West End are the biggest outside Asia. Festivities begin with the Chinese New Year parade, a colourful whirlwind of dragon and lion dances that makes its way from Charing Cross Road into Chinatown. Crowds then make their way down to Trafalgar Square where a thanksgiving ceremony, followed by firecrackers, speeches, the Lions’ Eye-Dotting Ceremony and eventually a pyrotechnic display keep the celebrations alive well into the evening. Meanwhile, stalls serving Chinese street food line the square refuelling peckish revellers.

Of course, such a celebration will not be going ahead this year. Instead, the London Chinatown Chinese Association (LCCA) has organised for the festivities to take place online, with the chance to watch footage of all of the above from previous years as well as new performances from emerging talent. You'll just have to order your own takeaway.

Dine in style with A. Wong’s Chinese New Year Feast

Andrew Wong is the chef of the moment, having become the first UK-based Chinese chef to earn a second Michelin star for his Pimlico restaurant A. Wong at the virtual awards ceremony in January. Admired for his exceptional dim sum, meticulous technicality and the sheer beauty he bestows on every dish, Andrew Wong has attracted foodies from far and wide who make the pilgrimage to dine at his table.

The good news is that while his restaurant remains closed, Wong has partnered with new food platform StarChefs to develop a Chinese New Year Feast for two – complete with a curated playlist – to be enjoyed at home. Look forward to 13 distinguished dishes – among them barbecued sweetcorn with beef xo sauce; crispy duck served with plum sauce; and wagyu steak to celebrate the year of the ox – which together comprise a four-part journey. The meal concludes with a playful fortune ‘cookie & cream’.

And to drink? Diners have the option to add on wines from Wanderlust, or exotic, non-alcoholic sparkling teas from SAICHO.

The Chinese New Year Feast costs £165 and is available from 11 - 13 February.

Read more and order

Immerse yourself in a digital tour of Chinatown

Chinese Arts Now is an organisation that celebrates British-Chinese stories through myriad art forms. Its annual festival, Chinese Arts Now Festival, falls directly after Chinese New Year: taking place from 15 February - 30 April in 2021. Experimental theatre, dance performances, comedy scratch nights and art installations are all encompassed by the festival, but a returning highlight has to be Augmented Chinatown (15 February), a tour through the streets of Chinatown led by artist Donald Shek.

Through combining video installation and digital sculptures with facts and anecdotes, Shek explains the history of the area, exploring themes of identity, cultural symbolism and myth. Spanning the creation of its buildings with Chinese mythology in mind, to its role in the Chinese community today, Augmented Chinatown is a thorough exploration of the area’s past, present and future. The tour is available via the iPhone app.

Celebrate the Year of the Ox with the National Maritime Museum

For the past 20 years, Chinese New Year has been marked with fanfare at Greenwich's National Maritime Museum. This year, the celebrations have been shifted online, but families can still look forward to a full day of colourful craft workshops, vibrant performances and storytelling to mark the start of the Year of the Ox.

Among the highlights is deaf storyteller Deppa Shastri bringing to life the story of the legendary monster Nian, illustrating also how red became China's lucky colour; a character announcer with Cutty Sark chef and Chinese lascar James Robson; and a 10-minute video introduction into Tai Chi and Qigong with specialist Chew Yeen Lawes.

Photo: Royal Museums Greenwich