One of the things I personally love about San Diego is its diversity of cultures. And there's few times during the year better to see this on display than during the holidays!
From the vibrant Día de los Muertos celebrations in Old Town San Diego in October and November to the St. Patrick's Day festivities in March, Cinco de Mayo fun in May and, of course, the upcoming multi-day Chinese New Year celebrations, San Diego celebrates diversity, culture, and holidays unlike any other city.
What is Chinese New Year?
Perhaps you've not heard about Chinese New Year and are wondering what it's all about?
Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, the T?t Holiday, or the Spring Festival, is the celebration of the start of the new year based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar. It's a time for families to gather to mark the new year ahead with food, drink, cultural festivities, and sometimes even fireworks!
If this is your first time celebrating the Chinese New Year - or Lunar New Year - in San Diego, then you need only know one thing. In our humble opinion, no U.S. city does it better!
While in China, residents celebrate a 16-day Chinese New Year festival culminating in a lantern festival, in San Diego, the city will kick off many events starting in mid-February. And it's no small event with an estimated 20% of the world's population, that's about 1.6 billion people, celebrating Chinese New Year annually.
When is Chinese New Year in 2026?
This year, the Lunar New Year falls on Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 which culminates with the first new moon of the lunar calendar.
What is the Theme For 2026?
Each Chinese New Year is associated with one of the 12 zodiac animals and an element. Each animal and element runs on a 12-year cycle.
For example, 2025 was the year of the Wood Snake. 2026 introduces the next animal in the cycle - the Fire Horse, making it a year to celebrate strength, confidence, energy, speed, responsibility, intelligence, and enthusiasm.
This year celebrates all the attributes of a horse while adding the element of fire, bringing passion to the horse's natural state. Therefore, in 2026, you may consider taking calculated risks and being adaptable. Overcaution or clinging to the old may be uncomfortable as we push into the new year.
How to Celebrate
Most Lunar New Year Festival celebrations include traditional elements like lion dance performances, a fireworks display, and gifts from family members in red envelopes.
Many celebrations also include decorations and parade floats themed around the current Chinese Zodiac year.
Our founder Todd has said he's excited to take his kids to learn about one of the most important cultural events our world has to offer. It's one that can be overlooked but has real significance to many of our neighbors in San Diego, and he's looking forward to the experience and education.
One thing is for sure - he can expect to see lots of horses!
The Opening Ceremony
Opening ceremonies at each event are huge crowd-pleasers and something our team at Go Visit San Diego would recommend looking out for. At their centerpiece are often performances of Lion Dancers.
The large lion dances and weaves through crowds, inviting everyone to take part and kicking off the rest of the festivities.
Convoy District: America's Largest Pan-Asian Hub
San Diego's Convoy District is the biggest pan-Asian business district in the US! This hidden gem shines during Lunar New Year with authentic cuisine, bakeries, and shops representing Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, and Filipino cultures - all in one walkable area locals love year-round.