Each year, the Chinese New Year festivities attract crowds of curious onlookers. Many of Paris’s districts are colourfully decorated, and parades, events and exhibitions are organized throughout the city. In 2026, Chinese New Year - also called Lunar New Year, Spring Festival or, by the Vietnamese, Têt Holiday - starts on Tuesday 17 Febraury 2026 and marks the start of the Year of the Horse.
Chinese New Year is an opportunity to highlight the Asian cultures that celebrate it. To perpetuate this tradition, the Chinese cultural centre offers a rich and well thought out programme. The UGVF (General Union of Vietnamese in France) is also organising festivities, including a big celebration (market, show, special events, evening with dancing …) at the Baltard Pavilion, at Nogent-sur-Marne on February 14, 2026, from noon to 11pm.
The traditional Parisian parade will take place on Sunday, 1 March 2026. It will start between 1pm and 2pm at 33 Rue du Disque. Come and enjoy this event in the streets of the 13th arrondissement between Avenue de Choisy, Porte de Choisy and Avenue d'Ivry. On the programme: traditional music and costumes, cymbals, drums, colourful tigers and dragons, and good cheer. This parade is preceded by numerous events in the 13th arrondissement: exhibitions (Ma Mère et moi by Hom Nuguyen and Encre en Lumières by Zheng Taijun from 13 February to 1 March 2026), shows (concert L'Eventail du Printemps on 13 February 2026, Han Style New Year on 14 February 2026, Têt show on 20 February 2026, Novel An concert on 21 February 2026, Chinese New Year Yu Zone on 26 February 2026, stand-up comedy on 27 February 2026, Spring Festival on 27 February 2026, Chinese dance on 28 February 2026) and many more...
On 1 February 2026, head to the 8th arrondissement of Paris at the Marriott Champs-Élysées for an afternoon (noon to 4pm) of surprises: lion and dragon dances, traditional ceremonies...
On 22 February 2026, the Place de la République will host its Chinese New Year Festival from 11am to 10pm. The programme includes spectacular dragon and lion dances, costumed parades and decorated floats, cultural and festive performances, and a large food market! Admission is free for all.
The Cernuschi Museum - notably with the exhibition China. Traces of the Past. Discovery of Antiquity and Renewal of the Arts. 1786-1955 - and the Guimet Museum are the two major Parisian museums whose collections are devoted to Asian arts. These two major cultural venues offer several special events for the Chinese New Year. For example, the Guimet Museum is organising its big event day on 21 February 2026: storytelling tour, lion dance at 3pm, guided tour... Also, the Quai Branly Museum is presenting the exhibition Dragons, until 1 March 2026.
The department store La Samaritaine is celebrating the Lunar New Year by honouring the Year of the Horse with a series of cultural and wellness events. In partnership with the China National Tourist Office, the department store is offering unique events. Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche is hosting Chinese artist Song Dong for the exhibition ‘Objets divers et variés’ (until 22 February 2026).
In 2026, Chinese New Year will also be celebrated at the Paris-Vincennes Racecourse, which is hosting a festive day on Sunday 22 February 2026. From noon to 6.30pm, the public can enjoy dragon and lion dances, traditional music, Asian costumes and cultural entertainment, while watching the horse races. A gastronomic village with Chinese flavours set up in the Grand Hall completes this convivial and immersive experience dedicated to Chinese New Year.
📍Other venues are offering events to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Paris in 2026:
The Greater Paris Light Routes pay tribute, in their own way, to the Chinese lantern festivals. Two of them are still to be discovered during the Lunar New Year festivities:
Explore Paris, the well-known organizer of fascinating guided walks in Paris and the wider Paris region, offers various excursions centred on Paris’s rich Asian culture. An excellent way to lift the veil on the treasures contained in these districts. Among the available tours:
TheWaysBeyond, Le Vrai Paris and My Urban Expeirence also offer thematic and gourmet walks around China and Asia in Paris: "Welcome to China, in Paris", "Urban and social history of Chinatown
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In keeping with the Year of the Horse celebrated during the 2026 Lunar New Year, Paris is also hosting the imposing sculpture Zeus, le cheval métallique , which can be viewed free of charge on the forecourt of the Musée des Arts et Métiers until January 2027, with the exhibition " Zeus, masterpiece of craftsmen" which delves into the genesis and manufacture of this emblematic work of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Since its inclusion on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List, Chinese New Year has been celebrated in Paris through the Joyeuse Fête du Printemps 2026 programme, organised by the Chinese Cultural Centre in Paris. Until 7 April 2026, this series of events offers some major highlights: the ‘Auspicious Golden Horse’ artistic gala at the Théâtre de la Tour Eiffel, celebration evening at the Château de Chantilly, sound and light shows, Sino-French concerts, family days and cultural market in Belleville, offering a lively immersion in ancient traditions and contemporary creations.
Just walking through the streets Paris, you’ll come across some unusual edifices that look as though they’ve come straight from China.
At 48 rue de Courcelles in the 8th arrondissement, Mr Loo’s pagoda stands out from its surroundings. Although the museum it houses is currently closed, the building itself is worth the detour for its architecture. The same is true for the former pavilions of the 1931 Colonial Exhibition at Vincennes, which have been transformed into a pagoda. Today it is home to the largest Buddha in Europe, the International Buddhist Institute and the French Buddhist Union.
And in the 13th arrondissement, at Place Augusta Holmes, don’t be surprised to see parts of a dragon emerging from the pavement! This work of art by Chen Zen and Xu Min is called The Dance of the Emerging Fountain.
Typical dishes prepared for this special occasion include longevity noodles (the longer the noodles, the longer the life), dumplings, Lok Ba Go (Chinese turnip cake) and Bánh chưng (Vietnamese square sticky rice cake). Get a taste of Asia without leaving Paris – numerous restaurants are operating a click & collect or home delivery service.
Our recommendations include Mirama (17 rue Saint-Jacques, Paris 5th) for their Peking duck, Les Pâtes Vivantes (46 rue du Faubourg Montmartre, Paris 9th and 3 rue de Turbigo, Paris 3rd) for typical noodles, La Pâtisserie de Choisy (62 avenue de Choisy, Paris 13th) for cakes and desserts, Gros Bao (72 quai de Jemmapes, Paris 10th) for piping hot steamed buns, the Tse Yang restaurant (25 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, Paris 16th) for their promotion of Chinese gastronomy and Panda Panda (21 rue Juliette Dodu, Paris 10th) or 21g-Dumpling (167 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, Paris 11th) for their excellent dim sum.
The gourmet restaurant Lili - located in The Peninsula Paris - is offering a special Chinese New Year menu from 16 to 21 February 2026.
Another palace, the Shangri-La, is putting on a great spread to duly celebrate this New Lunar Year. The Parisian palace’s two restaurants are offering special menus. Firstly, the exceptional menu at the Shang Palace from 12 to 17 February 2026, from 6.30pm to 10pm. At the Bauhinia, a celebratory gastronomic brunch will be served on Sunday 22 February 2026 from noon to 3pm. The unmissable Lion Dance - a mini parade in the palace itself - is also part of the festivities organised at the Shangri-La: on 17 February 2026 from 11am and on 22 February 2026 from 11.45am.
In 2026, Asian cuisine will also be celebrated with a special event featuring Tang Frères, an iconic figure in Paris's Chinatown. To mark its 50th anniversary, the restaurant will transform its premises at 48 avenue d'Ivry (Paris 13th arrondissement) into a banquet hall on the evening of 19 February. In partnership with Bao Family, a unique seven-course dinner, created by chef Zoey Xinyi Gong, will showcase Chinese sauces and revisited culinary traditions.
In terms of unusual experiences, Le Cordon Bleu Paris is celebrating the Lunar New Year with a free vegetable carving demonstration led by chef Bao Feiyue, a renowned master of this traditional art. On Monday 16 February 2026, he will unveil his spectacular skills, combining gastronomy, aesthetics and Asian symbolism, through creations sculpted live. A rare encounter between haute cuisine and culture, to be discovered at 11-15 quai André Citroën (Paris 15th arrondissement), by reservation.
And don’t hesitate to step into a local restaurant where there are plenty of great dishes to enjoy!
For an immersive cultural experience, shop for some specialities at one of the Tang brothers’ Asian supermarkets, then stop for refreshment at the Maison des Trois Thés (1 rue Saint-Médard, Paris 5th) before dropping into the attractive Le Phénix bookshop (72 boulevard de Sébastopol, Paris 3rd), which specializes in Asian and Chinese literature.
A Forbidden City a stone’s throw from Paris? The Huatian Chinagora Hotel in Alfortville (1 place du Confluent-France-Chine, 94) will come as a surprise. This five-building complex, comprising a luxury hotel, a restaurant with a panoramic view, and reception rooms, is the work of Cantonese architect Liang Kunhao. Again, this year, special menus, a fireworks display and a show of dance are on the programme. Fireworks display on 16 February 2026 at 9.30pm and lion dance on the esplanade on 17 February 2026 at midday.
At Saint-Rémy-l’Honoré, in the Yvelines, the Yili garden is the first traditional Chinese garden to be created in France. Set in six hectares, its design incorporates the principles of yin and yang and architectural elements made from noble materials imported from China. Quieten your mind with a zen moment - a great way to begin the year of the Wood Dragon!
In Aubervilliers: 18 February 2026, for a big day of celebrations from 9am onwards in the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville in Aubervilliers. The programme will include musical entertainment, a food stall, a traditional costume parade and the Dragon Dance, which will leave from the Town Hall and reach the Pont de Stains. At the same time, two venues in Aubervilliers will be celebrating Chinese New Year: l'Embarcadère and the Point Fort d'Aubervilliers.
The town of Noisy-le-Grand, easily accessible from the capital, celebrates Chinese New Year in style, as it does every year. The programme for this big day of celebration includes a festive parade with dancing lions and a colourful procession. 22 February 2026 from midday.
In Issy-les-Moulineaux, on the esplanade of the Town Hall, China Boulevard – a gourmet market with entertainment and more - will be open from 10am to 5pm on 31 January 2026.
On 21 February 2026, Rueil-Malmaison - easily accessible via the RER A train line – will celebrate Chinese New Year with Spring Festival celebrations, a day dedicated to Franco-Chinese cultural exchanges. The programme includes a traditional market, Chinese culinary specialities, lion dances, taiji and kung fu demonstrations, Yue opera and artistic performances combining tradition and contemporary creations, all in a festive and friendly atmosphere.
In February 2026, Paris offers a wide choice of outings for lovers: exhibitions, shows, fairs...
