Chinese New Year London parade details: family fun, dragon dances and more

Year of the fire horse takes to the streets of London

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A photo of Chinese New Year in London.
(Image credit: Visit London)

The Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, begins on February 17th. But for Londoners out to celebrate in 2026, February 22nd is the day to watch.

This is when the Chinese New Year parade kicks off in London’s centre, and when you can take in all the capital’s prime festivities.

The parade itself will have familiar timings this year. It begins at around 10am, starting off from Trafalgar Square, and will finish up in Soho a little before midday.

The 2026 route sees the procession head up through Shaftesbury Avenue, ending near Wardour Street, parallel to Chinatown’s main drag.

Chinese New Year parade map.

(Image credit: LCCA)

Other key attractions for the day, and February 21st, have been confirmed by the Greater London Authority.

They include the main stage at Trafalgar Square, which will have “dragon and flying lions dance” shows and other “cultural performances” from midday to 6pm, kicking off with some speeches and the Lions’ eye-dotting ceremony.

The Trafalgar Square area will also be peppered with stands and stalls.

“The official Opening Ceremony takes place at 12:30 p.m. in Trafalgar Square. It includes the traditional lion awakening, followed by flying lion dances. The main stage in Trafalgar Square features a variety of cultural performances, culminating with a stunning grand finale that promises to leave a lasting impression,” says the LCCA.

Chinatown itself will host lion dance performances, and will no doubt be busy all day. There are further workshop and family activities to be held in Leicester Square and on Soho’s Dean Street.

And if you won’t be around on February 22nd, there will also be Lion dance performances in Chinatown throughout the day on Saturday February 21st.

Other areas in London where you can see some Chinese/Lunar New Year celebrations that weekend include Greenwich Peninsula, Camden, Covent Garden, the London Museum and Old Spitalfields Market.

2026 is the year of the Horse, associated with movement, freedom and speed. It’s apparently a Fire Horse year too — as per Chinese astrology, the years cycle through earth, water, fire and metal states as well as being associated with an animal.

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Andrew Williams
Andrew Williams
Contributor

Andrew Williams has written about all sorts of stuff for more than a decade — from tech and fitness to entertainment and fashion. He has written for a stack of magazines and websites including Wired, TrustedReviews, TechRadar and Stuff, enjoys going to gigs and painting in his spare time. He's also suspiciously good at poker.

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