Lunar New Year at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden in Vancouver’s Chinatown hosts Chinese New Year celebrations at Lunar New Year with various activities and live performances.

In 2026, the event is likely to happen on the Sunday following the Lunar New Year, which is February 22nd. Until a few years ago, admission to the gardens on the day was by donation. In 2025, however, there was a small standard fee. In 2026, it is likely to be similar, but exact details are to be confirmed.

The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden is a not-for-profit attraction. Proceeds from the annual event help fund maintenance and other programs and workshops.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden’s Lunar New Year Event

Lunar New Year, also called Chinese New Year by people of Chinese descent, is celebrated all around the world. In 2026, the Lunar New Year is on February 17th. 2026 marks the year of the Horse according to the Chinese Zodiac.

Many Lunar New Year celebrations happen in Metro Vancouver each year, including Lunarfest, the Chinese New Year Parade, celebrations at International Village Mall, and more. There are also special activities at the Chinese Canadian Museum. Another popular way to ring in the New Year is by visiting Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden in Chinatown. The beautiful oasis in downtown Vancouver hosts an annual event full of fun things to see and do.

Last year’s Lunar New Year Festival featured arts and crafts, traditional food, and performances. There was also a money tree demonstration and tea ceremonies. The event ran from 11:30 am until 5:00 pm. The 2026 event is likely to be comparable, but exact details are to be confirmed as of mid-December.

In 2025, admission to the Lunar New Year Celebration was discounted compared to the regular price for visiting the gardens. It cost $10 for adults, $8 for children ages 5 to 12, and kids younger than that were free.

For an idea of what typically happens at the event, the 2025 schedule is included below.

11:30 pm – Doors Opened
12:00 pm – Lucky Couplets Calligraphy, Tea Ceremonies and Nian Gao Demonstrations
12:30 pm – Guzheng Performances
1:30 pm – Money Tree Demonstration
3:00 pm – Lion Dance Performance

Throughout the event, there were also arts & crafts at the China Maple Hall and a food corner at the Hall of One Hundred Rivers.

WALKING TOURS IN CHINATOWN

If you want to learn about Chinatown and Chinese history in Vancouver, then we highly recommend Historical Chinatown Tours with Judy Lam Maxwell. We went on one of the tours and were really impressed! It was very interesting, informative and fun. On our tour, we also went to a restaurant in Chinatown for dim sum. It was delicious!

To learn more about the tours, see our article about Historical Chinatown Tours (where you’ll also see a video which will show you a bit about what you can expect).

Lunar New Year Events in the Past

Before the era of COVID, the Lunar New Year event at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden was called the Temple Fair. It was similar to the 2025 weekend event, but with a different name.

Prior to 2019, the attraction also hosted a special multi-day event called Lanterns in the Garden. It ran for about three weeks starting around the Lunar New Year. The photo above shows what one of the Lanterns in the garden looked like in 2018. It was a very interesting event.

Chinese Lantern Exhibit at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden