Lunar New Year 2021

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Posted 2021-02-08 by May Cross ⇒ follow

Wed 10 Feb 2021 - Mon 15 Feb 2021

Lunar New Year is on Friday 12 February this year and it's the lucky Year of the Ox. It's called the Lunar New Year because it marks the first new moon of the lunisolar calendars which are regulated by the cycles of the moon and sun. The Lunar New Year (often called Chinese New Year) is celebrated by many East Asian countries, including China and Vietnam.

The zodiac sign of the Ox occupies the second position in the Chinese Zodiac. Those born under the influence of the Ox are fortunate to be stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with a strong character. Oxen are the hard workers in the background, intelligent and reliable, but never demanding praise. Years of the Ox are: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021. Were you born in the "Year of the Ox"?
Recent years of the Ox are:
1985 - Wood Ox
1997 - Fire Ox
2009 - Earth Ox
2021 - Metal Ox

Lunar New Year Festival
Celebrate The Lunar New Year in the Chinatown precinct in Fortitude Vally on Saturday 13 February from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. This festival is suitable for all ages and will be fun for the whole family. Best of all, the entertainment is free. Lunar New Year in Brisbane is best experienced in the heart of the Valley by enjoying the delicious flavours and vibrant culture that Chinatown has to offer. Reserve a table at your favourite restaurant and be entertained by the roving performers. You will see lion dancers and Japanese drumming to welcome the Year of the Ox in the Chinatown Mall and other venues in the Valley. Bookings are not required to attend the festival. However, bookings are recommended to dine at your favourite restaurant or cafe. Be warned: it is usually the busiest time of the year for Asian venues.

Lunar New Year Cooking Class
Why not learn Asian cooking to impress your family and guests? This cooking class is being held on Saturday 13 February from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at Kitchen Confidence, 455 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley. It is restricted to 18 years and over. The cost is $45 per person. In this cooking class, you will learn to cook a blended Asian menu It will consist of quick and easy recipes that you'll get to take home and enjoy. You'll help to prepare dishes and eat what you create. This class focuses on reducing food waste, safe food handling and knife skills.

The menu includes:
•Chinese handmade pork dumplings in Asian ginger, sesame and soy broth.
•Chinese char sui barbeque pork - succulent and tender pull-apart pork shoulder in a sweet and tangy sticky sauce.
•Japanese skipjack tuna sashimi with salted onions and ponzu sauce.
•Wasabi crumbed calamari with lime mayonnaise dip.
•Thai fragrant chicken and lime laksa.
•Vietnamese coconut and galangal creme caramel with berries.
Yum, yum.

Bookings are required via the Kitchen Confidence website.

IKEA Asian buffet $30
My husband will only accompany me to IKEA if I promise him the iconic Swedish meatballs as a reward for lugging furniture home. However, on Wednesday 10 February at the Logan IKEA, and Thursday 11 February at the North Lakes IKEA, you will get more than Scandinavian cuisine. They will be serving up an Asian feast inspired by the Lunar New Year. The buffet dinner is from 5.30pm on Wednesday or Thursday. On the menu are classic dishes such as dumplings, spring rolls, and deep-fried eggs in sweet and sour sauce. There are beef and vegetarian hot pots, tofu salad with chilli and sesame, Hokkien noodles and honey soy chicken wings, and sweets: fruit salad, chocolate wafers and coconut rice pudding with mango sauce.

Adult tickets to the buffet feast are $29.95, although IKEA Family members can get theirs for just $24.95. And, you could even squeeze in a spot of pre or post-dinner flatpack shopping while you're there.

Party
Start the lunar new year as you intend to continue it - with a bottomless feast of dumplings and unlimited lychee martinis. Throw in non-stop Tsingtao beers as well and you'll be welcoming the Year of the Ox in style. That's something we all want every time any calendar resets,and it's also something we could all do with after everything the past 12 months has thrown us. Those non-stop cocktails, beers and dumplings are on the menu for two hours at Emporium's Piano Bar, as part of the South Bank venue's Lunar New Year party. While you're eating and drinking at this all-you-can-consume feast, you'll be in Piano Bar, beneath its chandelier and being entertained by a lion dance performance. It all happens from 6.30 to 8.30 pm on Friday 12 February for $70.

Moreton Bay Region
From 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm on 13 February, you can enjoy the Moreton Bay Region Lunar New Year again. At Caboolture Town Square, Hasking Street, this event brings the colourful celebrations of the far east to Caboolture for an evening packed with family fun. Experience authentic Asian culture and entertainment. The program will feature traditional music and dance, yummy traditional oriental food, Chinese Dragon dancing, cultural displays and workshops. Take your pick from an array of street food options and international tastes from popular food trucks and vendors.
Highlights include:
4:00pm - Red Dragon Traditional Lion Dance
4:20pm - Toko-Ton Japanese Drumming
4:45pm - Splendid Taiwan
5:30pm - QLD Chinese Communities
6:05pm - Red Dragon Martial Arts
6:25pm - QLD Guangxi Multicultural Communities
7:10pm - Brisbane North Chinese Association
7:50pm - Red Dragon Traditional Lion Dance
8:00pm - Firecracker Finale: watch the sky light up with a spectacular firecracker display.

Technicolour Chinese New Year and Night Market
This colourful annual free event is held at the Multicultural Community Centre at 23 Foster Street in Newmarket. On Saturday 13 February, the Night Market is on from 4.00 pm to 9.00 pm. The Chinese cultural show is on at 5.00 and 6.30 pm with the Opening Ceremony at 5.00 pm. Highlights include live performances such as the lion dance, free calligraphy workshop, market and food stalls.

Lunar New Year at Sunnybank Plaza and Sunny Park
Come along to five days of free celebrations for the Lunar New Year from Wednesday 10 February to Sunday 14 February at 358 Mains Road, Sunnybank. There's a range of entertainment and activities which showcase a variety of performances and cultural demonstrations. The program includes an Asian Film Festival at Hoyts and you can experience delish Asian dining and fresh food. Sunnybank boasts Brisbane's largest variety of Authentic Asian eats with over 60 restaurants and cafes and 180 specialty stores. There really is something for everyone!

Lunar New Year at Southpoint
Celebrate Lunar New Year for free on Friday 12 February from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm at Southpoint Shopping Mall , 275 Grey Street, South Brisbane. Enjoy the colours and sounds of a double lion dance with musical performers on the drums, cymbals and gong at 12.30 pm. There will be free fortune cookie giveaways in the food court from 10.00 am. Will you have good fortune, power and wisdom in the Year of the Ox? Also in the food court, there will be special menus and retailer offers.

Lunar New Year at Inala
Free lucky lion performance and "lion conquering the pack" at 156 Inala Avenue in Inala from 10.00 am for 30 minutes. Also in Inala, visit Van Long Supermarket at Shop 23B on Friday from 11.00 am to 12.00 noon for a Chinese New Year party.

Lunar New Year at Blunder Road Shopping Village
Go along to 146 Blunder Road in Oxley on Saturday 13th from 11.30 am to 12.30 pm. You can enjoy an hour of free entertainment including a lion dance parade performance. Don't miss " plucking of the greens" or Cai Qing.

Lunar New Year at Forest Lake Shopping Village
At 235 Forest Lake Boulevarde on Friday and Saturday 12-13 February, enjoy a kid-friendly performance by lion dancers to bring luck and prosperity for the year ahead. On Saturday, you can have a personalised rice reading at Now Healthy.

Lunar New Year at Greenbank
At Greenbank RSL, 54 Anzac Avenue in Hillcrest, you can celebrate Chinese New Year with 30 minutes of free entertainment. The Lion Dancers will perform from 7.30 pm to 8.00 pm on Friday 12 February.