Lunar New Year Events Scheduled for Bay Area

Inspired by the lively night markets of Asia, the Sunset Night Market's Lunar New Year celebration is part of a quarterly series of events. This iteration follows a successful launch in 2023 that drew an estimated 10,000 people and subsequent events in 2024 that saw crowds double to 20,000, quickly earning it a spot as one of USA Today's 10 best night markets in the country. The San Jose festival, described as the largest Vietnamese New Year celebration in the nation, is a multi-day affair held in the former Sears parking lot at Eastridge Center. The free-to-attend event features carnival rides, K-Pop dance performances, a Miss Vietnam California pageant, and 3D-themed parks for photo opportunities. For those closer to home, Fremont hosts its own Lunar New Year Festival at the Fremont Hub on Sunday, February 15, 2026. Additionally, the Dharma Drum Mountain San Francisco Bay Area Center in Fremont will hold a celebration on Saturday, February 21, featuring blessing ceremonies, vegetarian food, and cultural activities like floral art and calligraphy. Nearby Newark also hosts festivities, including a variety show with music and dance at the Silliman Center. 2026 ushers in the Year of the Horse, an animal symbolizing optimism, energy, and perseverance. This particular year is a Fire Horse, an astrological configuration that happens only once every 60 years and is associated with radical change and transformation. Across the Bay Area, celebrations will incorporate cherished traditions. Families gather for reunion dinners featuring symbolic foods like whole fish for abundance and dumplings for wealth. Children often receive red envelopes, called "hongbao," containing money as a wish for luck and prosperity in the year ahead.