Guides Chinese New Year 2027 Sat 6 to Sun 21 February Updated 1 Sep 2026
Chinese New Year in London 2027: the parade, Trafalgar Square and Chinatown
The Year of the Goat begins on 6 February 2027. The parade, the stage, where to stand, where to eat and how to avoid the crush.
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February, the start of the Year of the Goat. London’s celebrations are the largest outside Asia and they happen on a Sunday, usually the one after the day itself, so expect Sunday 7 February for the parade and the Trafalgar Square stage, subject to the London Chinatown Chinese Association confirming.
The day
The parade starts at ten in Charing Cross Road, runs down Shaftesbury Avenue and into Chinatown, with the biggest gathering of lions and dragons in Europe. The stage in Trafalgar Square runs from midday to about six with dance, music and the traditional dotting of the lions’ eyes at the opening. Chinatown itself is the crush: stalls, food, lion dances outside the restaurants, and more people than the streets hold.
How to do it well
See the parade from Shaftesbury Avenue rather than from Chinatown; the pavements are wider and you can see. Eat early or late, not at one. The restaurants on Gerrard Street take no bookings that day and the queues run to an hour; the ones a street back, or in Bayswater, are the ones to book. Bring cash for the stalls.
Beyond the West End
The temple and community celebrations in Colindale, Croydon and Southwark happen through the fortnight and are gentler. The Lantern Festival two weeks after the day is the end of the season and is quieter still.
Our rule for this page
The organisers publish the programme in January. This page carries the confirmed date the day it is announced and the list below fills from the programme.
Chinese New Year: what is on
Sat 6 to Sun 21 FebruarySunday
7 February-
Food and drink Free
Chinese New Year in Chinatown
The largest celebration outside Asia: lion dances through Gerrard Street, the parade up to Trafalgar Square and stages on the square itself. Free, and packed from midday.
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Seasonal Free
Chinese New Year parade and stage, Trafalgar Square
The parade leaves Charing Cross Road around midday and the square runs performances into the afternoon. Best watched from the north terrace rather than in the crowd.
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What is on right now
All 2207 listingsThis guide is rewritten each year before the dates come round. For what is actually happening this week rather than what happens every year, the listings below are dated, checked against the venue and carry the venue's own link.
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Questions people ask
When is Chinese New Year 2027?
Saturday 6 February 2027, the start of the Year of the Goat.
When is the London parade?
Usually the Sunday after the day itself, which would be Sunday 7 February 2027. The organisers confirm the date in January and this page carries it the day they do.
Where does the parade go?
From Charing Cross Road down Shaftesbury Avenue into Chinatown, starting around ten. Shaftesbury Avenue has the widest pavements to watch from.
Is it free?
Yes. The parade, the Trafalgar Square stage and Chinatown are all free.
Every listing on this page is checked against the venue's own page and the page is rewritten each year, usually six to eight weeks before the dates. Times and prices can change on the night; the venue link on each event is the one to trust. How we choose what goes in.