For families around the world, Lunar New Year is a time of gathering and celebration, rooted in old traditions and new beginnings. Whether you’re handing out red pockets of money, wrapping bánh tét cakes, or folding pleats in dumplings, there so many ways to commemorate and learn more about the holiday.
Here in Baltimore, ring in the Year of the Horse—symbolizing energy, independence, passion, and momentum—by exploring these upcoming events planned by restaurants, museums, breweries, and other community organizations.
2/17-3/3: Lunar New Year Menu at Nine Tailed Fox
Through March 3, chef Timur Fazilov and his team at this Cross Keys dining destination are serving special cocktails and dishes dedicated to the holiday’s principles. Start by sipping a Red Orange Manhattan meant to symbolize good fortune, joy, and protection. Other cocktail names and ingredients are meaningful, too, like the tequila and ginger-forward Lunar Lychee (representing harmony and new beginnings) and the Matcha Martini (representing good health and long life.) The celebratory plates include red and gold chicken and shrimp dumplings (wealth and good fortune), family-style Peking duck (family unity and completeness), and sesame balls for dessert (sweet life.) 3 Village Square.
2/17: Lunar New Year at Live Casino & Luk Fu
The Year of the Fire Horse will start off strong at Live! in Hanover, whose casino floor will be properly decked out with installations featuring horses, lanterns, gold coins and Chinese knots. A special lion dance parade is set for Feb. 17 at 7 p.m., and afterward, you can grab a table at Luk Fu for specials such as lobster tempura, pan-seared whole pompano with fish sauce, and a stir-fry with cured pork belly and Chinese sausage. 7002 Arundel Mills Cir. Hanover
2/18-2/20, 2/26: Lunar New Year Pop-Up Menu and Wine Dinner at The Corner Pantry
Swing by the beloved cafe in Mt. Washington to indulge in the annual Lunar New Year menu, which will highlight all-day specials Wednesday through Friday. Previous favorites this time of year have included black tea custard tarts, green papaya salad, congee rice porridge, and ginger-orange drinks. Continuing the celebration, on Feb. 26 the team is hosting a ticketed Year of the Horse Wine Dinner with Peter Wood of Spirit Shop Falls Road, plating up dishes such as butternut squash dumpling soup, curry-roasted branzino, and miso-aged ribeye—each served alongside a curated pour. 6080 Falls Rd.
2/21: Peabody Heights Brewery Lunar New Year Celebration
The community-focused brewery’s annual celebration of AAPI culture returns, this year with a local vendor market, an all-ages drag show, Korean fusion fare, live music by acoustic guitarist Steve Hung, and lion dancing by U.S. Jow Ga Martial Arts in Columbia. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Peabody party without a special release. Make sure to hit the bar for a sip of the Year of the Fire Horse-inspired beer, too. 401 E. 30th St. 6-10 p.m. Free admission
2/21: The Walters Art Museum Lunar New Year Celebration
The Mount Vernon art museum invites guests to partake in horse art-making, storytelling, a fun photo booth, a gallery scavenger hunt, and a letter writing activity where you can write your New Year’s wish on a postcard and the museum will mail it to your future self. Eats and drinks for purchase from local AAPI vendors (Ekiben, NiHao, Peabody Heights Brewing, Peter Chang Baltimore, and Phowheels) will be plentiful. And be sure to get a good view for the performance portion, which will showcase the Baltimore Chinese School, Korean Culture and Art of Maryland, and Yong Han Lion Dance Troupe. 600 N. Charles St. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
2/21: Baltimore County Public Library Lunar New Year Festival
Bring the kids to the BCPL Cockeysville branch to learn more about the traditions and stories behind Lunar New Year. Spend your afternoon browsing Chinese artwork and calligraphy, mastering the art of using chopsticks, DIYing a paper-folded horse, and enjoying live performances around the stacks. BCPL Cockeysville Branch. 9833 Greenside Dr. Cockeysville. 2-4 p.m.
2/25: Farmers Market Supper Club Lunar New Year Potluck
The inviting home cooks behind the Farmers Market Supper Club—who host reoccurring meetups in which guests bring a recipe made with locally sourced ingredients—are organizing their latest potluck at Canton’s Mobtown Brewing Co. in honor of the holiday. Get creative and bring a dish that represents your own interpretation of prosperity and luck. All leftovers will be donated to the Baltimore Community Fridge Network to support those in need. 4015 Foster Ave. 6:30-9 p.m. $13.
2/28: Lunar New Year Artist Market at Cylburn Arboretum
Co-presented by NAAAP Baltimore, the Governor’s Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, and Towson University’s Asian Arts & Culture Center, among other orgs, the three-week Lunar New Year festival at Cylburn Arboretum’s Vollmer Center continues with a vendor market showcasing Maryland’s AAPI makers and artists who represent many mediums. Vollmer Visitors Center. 4915 Greenspring Ave. 1-4 p.m. Free registration
TO 2/28: MGM National Harbor Year of the Horse Conservatory Display
Road trip to experience MGM National Harbor’s grand Lunar New Year conservatory, boasting eight giant galloping horses, a golden bamboo forest, a 15-foot towering red lantern, Koi fish, and a jade rock fountain. After you snap your photos, don’t forget to check out the special Lunar New Year menu at hotel restaurant Ginger, available through Feb. 22. 101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill.