Support Us Button Widget

How to celebrate Lunar New Year in Greenville, SC

Ring in the year of the dragon at these festivals and celebrations.

GVL_Lunar_New_Year_JAN2023

Red envelopes (stuffed with money) are a traditional Chinese gift during Lunar New Year. | Photo by @swamprabbitcafe

Table of Contents

Happy (almost) Lunar New Year. This Saturday, Feb. 10, one of the biggest celebrations of the year among East and Southeast Asian cultures begins, and Greenville is ready to party.

China’s Lunar New Year is known as the Spring Festival or Chūnjié in Mandarin, while Koreans call it Seollal and the Vietnamese refer to it as Tết. No matter what it’s called, it’s always rung in with the first new moon and spans the first 15 days of the first month of the lunar calendar, until the full moon arrives.

Here’s where you can celebrate in Greenville:

Lunar New Year Celebration | Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery, 205 Cedar Lane Rd.

GVL_Lunar_New_Year_Swamp_Rabbit_JAN2023

Pro tip: Start the party at Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery before hitting Sum Bar’s festival to maximize the Lunar New Year fun. | Photo by @swamprabbitcafe

Saturday, Feb. 17 | 3-7 p.m. | Free entry | Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with bites from The Noodle Lady + Salome’s Philippino Cuisine, watch the Greenville Chinese Cultural Association perform a dragon dance, enjoy traditional Asian specials in the cafe, and you may get lucky with red envelope giveaways throughout the day.

Lunar New Year Festival | Sum Bar, 307 E. Washington St.

GVL_Lunar_New_Year_AAPI_Festival_May2023

There’s something for everyone. | Photo by Sum Bar

Saturday, Feb. 17 | 12-7 p.m. | Free entry | Celebrate Sum Bar’s first anniversary and Lunar New Year with local vendors, local food pop-ups, and entertainment for the entire family.

Celebrate at home

Bring Lunar New Year to you by stocking up on supplies at one of these local Greenville businesses:

More from GVLtoday
Community Hub Plaza is coming to Simpsonville in the spring of 2025.
These gifts given to Greenville are way better than a Jelly of the Month Club membership.
Prepare for winter weather in Greenville, SC with these seasonal temperature and precipitation outlooks.
We know you’re ready to celebrate the season with a festive treat, so we put together a list of places to find holiday flavors in Greenville — from edible creations, to crafty cocktails, your Santa level sweet tooth will be satiated.
Simpsonville resident Ryan White is a huge Brother Oliver fan, and set up a light show in his yard featuring the band’s movie, “How to Break a World Record.”
Swoon Booksellers is a mobile bookstore selling romance novels and other fiction favorites.
This year brought development updates, restaurant news, and a historic storm, and GVLtoday was there to cover it all. We’re looking back at 2024’s top stories with our third-annual GVLtoday wrapped.
For the new year, we’re asking readers to submit their top questions about Greenville, SC for us to answer.
We’re highlighting the best kid-friendly activities that Greenville, SC has to offer — complete with art classes, animal encounters, and outdoor fun.
Let’s take a look at some stats on the history of snow in Greenville