Dublin Lunar New Year 2024

Dublin City Council today announced details of the programme for the Dublin Lunar New Year festival which will run from 3-11 February 2024. This year will be the year of the Dragon and everyone is invited to be part of the celebrations.

With events for the whole family to enjoy, the festival aims to celebrate and showcase the best of Asian-Irish culture in Ireland. The 9-day celebration will come to an exciting conclusion on 11 February (Lunar New Year’s Day) with a major flagship event taking place in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, from 12 noon - 6pm. This event is free to attend and for all ages.

Speaking today, Dublin City Council Arts Officer Ray Yeates said, ‘The Lunar New Year is a very special celebration for Dublin. For those Dubliners whose tradition celebrates this Asian Festival it brings memories of home and family. Dublin City Council is delighted to support this New Year of the Dragon.’

Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste said, ‘The Dublin Lunar New Year is a fantastic festival offering a vibrant mix of events across Dublin. The diversity of our city creates many exciting opportunities for all communities to come together and celebrate. The Dragon embodies many wonderful characteristics that we can live by as we begin the new year, representing power, nobleness and honor with great social and moral values. I would like to extend my warm wishes to everyone celebrating the Year of the Dragon - Bliain an Dragain faoi mhaise daoibh!’

Gonchigkhand Byambaa, a representative from the Mongolian community, who is organising the Mongolian poetry event in Central Library said, ‘Celebrating the Lunar New Year in Ireland, supported by Irish Officials, is an honour and pride for Mongolians in Ireland. We are grateful to share our rich culture and work toward an inclusive Ireland as a community. Thank you, beautiful Ireland and its Irishness. May the eternal blue sky bless us all.’

Dive into the programme and explore for yourself:

DLNY flagship event - 11 February:

Dublin Lunar New Year will present a one-day unforgettable celebration in Meeting House Square on 11 February. This will be the flagship event of the 2024 festival and will run from 12 noon – 6pm. There is something for everyone to enjoy, from authentic cuisine and dazzling performers, to creative demonstrations and traditional Lunar New Year games. This will include the new show-stopping commission, The Journey of the Dragons, a collaborative project by international spectacle champion, Lisette Krol, and Vietnamese-Irish DJ, Lychee, who join a line up of incredible performers from the Chinese, Korean, Mongolian and Taiwanese communities.

Experience Cantonese Lion and Dragon performances from Flower City Dragon and Lion Dance Association and students of the Sam Lee Academy will demonstrate how to harness your inner chi with the slow and graceful movements of the late Sam Lee’s style of Tai Chi.

Workshops will include a collaborative experience with visual artist Jane Groves working together to complete an epic dragon head sculpture, and with artist Heather Gray co-create a series of multi-cultural dragon illustrations or get your face painted with your very own zodiac animal.

There will be plenty of food experiences on offer - everything from tasty bulgogi and traditional Filipino flavors.

Dublin goes red:

Once again Dublin Lunar New Year will light recognisable city buildings and landmarks red from 3 - 11 February.

A feast of food:

The festival features an incredible variety of edible offerings which include Bahay’s pop-up at Meeting House Square where you’ll experience mouthwateringly good Filipino flavours created with the best of Irish ingredients. Seoul Kitchen will also be on-site serving exciting and authentic Korean dishes that ignite the taste buds and soothe the soul. You can also join the famous Asia Market for some Lunar New Year treats and entertainment at their family-friendly extravaganza on Drury Street, showcasing dazzling food stalls with a variety of delectable Asian treats like dumplings, bubble tea and much more.

Comedy:

For some Lunar New Year laughs, head to the International Comedy Club, hosted by Sharon Mannion, featuring some of Dublin’s most exciting up-and-coming acts, including Nghia Mai, Robbie Wild, and Marlon Simeon.

Music and film:

• At the Chester Beatty experience the musical stylings of the San Shi World Band, a group of world-class musicians performing music and songs of the Yi ethnic group from China.
• The East Asia Film Festival Ireland will present The Scent of Green Papaya at the Irish Film Institute, with French-Vietnamese filmmaker Tran Anh Hung who came to the cinema world's attention with this debut feature set in 1950s and 1960s Saigon.
• Join DJ Lychee and some of their most frequent collaborators from the Asian-Irish electronic music community for a night of enchanting beats and captivating melodies. Venue TBA.
• Culture and Community:
• Visit Hill Street in Dublin’s North East Inner City and experience their colourful and exciting Asian Wonderland. Enjoy a variety of activities, workshops, as well as traditional music and cultural performances.
• Join the UCD Confucius Institute for their musical fire flame show, authentic Asian food market, vibrant lanterns and spectacular lights.
• Check out a mesmerising 10 metre long Chinese Dragon on Drury Street and Capel Street as DublinTown and local businesses celebrate Dublin Lunar New Year.
• Lusk Community Council will host a series of Lunar Lantern Workshop and Showcase where all the creations will be on public display.
• At libraries across the city explore the Dublin City Libraries recommended reading list for young readers around the themes of the year.

Workshops:

• Take part in a host of adult and children’s workshops - at The Hugh Lane Gallery
• Get creative at the Chester Beatty - try the Chinese knot challenge, take a mindful workshop in Chinese Ink Painting, as a family create your own New Year lantern or for teens, create your own Chinese Dragon. At the National gallery of Ireland artist Chun Zu Wang presents a family workshop to create a Year of the Dragon masterpiece inspired by a 600-year old painting of St. George and the Dragon in the Gallery's collection.
• At the Dublin School of Mandarin Chinese try your hand at a Taiwanese puppet workshop, immerse yourself in the art of puppetry, learning the intricate craftsmanship involved in movements and costumes.
• Dive into the magical world of mythical animals, as well as the real life habitats of the animals at Dublin Zoo with a bespoke family workshop.
• Join artist Hoi-Shan Mak and create little dragons to bring you luck during 2024 or learn how to write the word 'dragon' in beautiful traditional Chinese characters with an online workshop presented by Cantonese in Ireland. Get competitive with our online Dragon Art Competition and colour your very own Dublin Dragon with illustrations by artist Heather Gray.

Biliungual tours:

Take part in a bilingual (Mandarin and English) tour of the Albert Bender exhibition - at National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, Sunday 11 February, 2pm. At the National Gallery explore highlights of the collection on a self-guided online tour in Mandarin.

Seminars & Talks:

Join Dr. Jun Ni of TU Dublin as they share the philosophy behind Chinese idioms and how they are rooted in both historical fact and fantastic legends. Showcasing their current research on Sichuan, the Trinity Centre for Asian Studies will host a half day symposium on indigenous languages, ethnobotany, and cultural history.

Full programme details available atdublinlunarnewyear.ie