As the Year of the Snake sets and the Year of the Horse rises, Chiang Mai is preparing to host a wonderful celebration for Chinese New Year 2026. With its rich culture and beautiful scenery, Chiang Mai gets even more magical during this time. From the buzzing streets of Chinatown to the serene temples adorned with red lanterns, the city transforms into a vibrant hub of traditional Chinese festivities, blending age-old customs with modern-day fun.
While the Chinese New Year celebrations in Chiang Mai are not as big a draw as the famous lantern festival, it’s still worth experiencing. I absolutely loved the Chinese traditional decorations aka red lanterns hung everywhere, the dragon dances and less busy vibe than during Yi Peng. Lunar New year was actually my favourite festival in Chiang Mai.
In this blog post, I’ll share the top activities and experiences that will make your Chinese New Year in Chiang Mai unforgettable. From the colourful parades and cultural performances, to the tantalizing street food – there’s no shortage of excitement. I’ll also provide you with some info about the best spots to witness the festivities and share tips for participating in local traditions.
So, come along as we dive into the lively celebrations of Chinese New Year 2026 in Chiang Mai. Let’s make this holiday one to remember in one of Thailand’s most charming cities!
What else can you do in Chiang Mai? Plenty! Read my “local’s guide to Chiang Mai” blog post to find all the best places to visit! Including some hidden gems!
Chinese New Year 2026
Before we begin, let me share a few interesting facts about what Chinese New Year entails and what it means to people who celebrate.
What is Chinese New Year all about?
Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival is the most important festival in China. It naturally celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese Lunisolar calendar. The festival usually lasts 2 weeks and it is rich with traditions that emphasize family reunion, prosperity, and the warding off of evil spirits. Because of the large Chinese population in Thailand, it’s also widely celebrated here. Not for 2 weeks though.
What are Chinese New Year customs and traditions?
There is a lot of customs that are supposed to prepare you for welcoming the new year. While you won’t necessarily clean or decorate your hotel room or Airbnb with red lanterns (although feel free), you can easily participate in other key traditions, like:
- wearing new, RED clothes – it symbolizes a fresh start and the hope for a prosperous new year. It’s also believed to ward off evil spirits and bad luck;
- giving red envelopes – elders give red envelopes containing money to children and unmarried adults, symbolizing the transfer of good fortune and blessings. The amount is usually an even number, as odd numbers are associated with funerals. And hey, I’m unmarried, so you know…buy me a coffee?
- lighting fireworks and firecrackers – it’s a popular tradition meant to scare away evil spirits and welcome the new year with a bang. Although don’t do it on your own. You can “safely” fire your firecrackers in Chinatown – more about it later;
- visiting relatives and friends – yes, I know, you probably don’t have many relatives in Chiang Mai to visit. But if you came to Thailand with your family, it’d be nice to spend this time together, for example while…
- eating lucky foods – family reunion at dinner is a another Chinese New Year tradition. A lot of places in Chiang Mai offer special lunar menus since each dish has a specific meaning then. For example: fish symbolizes abundance and prosperity, dumplings resemble ancient Chinese money and signify wealth, noodles represent long life and tangerines and oranges signify wealth and good fortune.
Last and personally my favourite Chinese New Year custom is watching lion and dragon dances. They are supposed to bring good luck and prosperity. The lion and dragon dances are believed to chase away evil spirits and bring blessings to businesses and homes.
And no worries, if you follow my little Chinese New Year in Chiang Mai itinerary, you definitely won’t miss them.
And btw, do you know your Chinese zodiac sign?
If not, have a look at the photo below and find the year you were born in. The animal assigned to it, is your Chinese zodiac sign.
Ok, now when we have all the bases covered, let’s get to the most important things…
How can you celebrate Chinese New Year 2026 in Chiang Mai
When is Chinese New Year in 2026?
Chinese New Year 2026 falls on Tuesday, February 17th. Although usually the celebrations in Chiang Mai last 3 days. In this case from 16th until 18th of February.
Where is Chinese New Year in Chiang Mai celebrated?
Most of the events for Chinese New Year in Chiang Mai take place in Chinatown. Surprising, I know. Especially around Warorot Market, also known as Kad Luang. You can simply put the name Warorot Market in Google maps, or follow this link. All the festivities start from Chinese Welcome Gate and continue along Chang Moi Road, reaching Warorot Market and the Ping River.
When I celebrated Chinese New Year in Chiang Mai in 2023 the beautiful decorations were set along Chang Moi Road and the main stage was located on the corner of Chang Moi Road and Kuang Men Road.
Important info!
Now…if you’ve ever participated in any other festival in Chiang Mai like, Yi Peng or New Year, you know that finding clear information about what’s happening and where is not easy. Especially in English. Usually official schedules (if posted at all) are posted one day in advance! No, I’m not joking! That was always my experience with Yi Peng Lantern Festival which I celebrated in Chiang Mai 3 times now. I’ll try my best though to post Chinese New Year celebrations schedule as soon as it shows up!
What’s the schedule of events for Chinese New Year 2026 in Chiang Mai?
This just in!
Below you can find the official schedule of events for Chinese New Year 2026 posted by Chiang Mai Municipality. Note: this has been Google translated from Thai to English by me. So forgive any spelling mistakes or weird translation.
Based on the schedule, most events will happen on 17th and 18th of February.
Keep in mind though – important info number 2:
that due to the Queen Mother’s passing and the period of national mourning in Thailand, the celebrations this year might be a little less festive. Yi Peng Festival events felt noticeably toned down – there were no marching bands, no loud music and everything was much more subdued. But let’s hope we’ll at least get to see some lions and dragons.
Chinese New Year main spots!
Chiang Mai Municipality went one step further and they shared the most important locations to check out together with the map:
So now, this is how you can celebrate Chinese New Year in Chiang Mai:
16th of February – day 1.
After sunset, head to Chinatown. Stroll along Chang Moi Road, starting from the Chinese Welcome Gate, to see decorations and take photos with red lanterns hanging all around. I absolutely loved the vibe there.
If you want to light firecrackers (for good luck), go in front of Kuan U Shrine. After making a small donation, someone will light them for you…in a pot. Make sure to stand at a safe distance.
When you get hungry, head towards the Ping River. You find plenty of food and drink stalls there. There were so many of them! You can try one of the lucky foods mentioned above.
Unfortunately, if you’re vegan or vegetarian, you might firstly look the other way and then go the other way – you won’t find much food there.
17th of February – day 2. – Chinese New Year
The actual day of New Year starts in Chiang Mai pretty early – with a morning parade. So grab a Grab or a red truck and head to Tha Phae Gate. The beautiful parade full of lions and dragons sets off from there around 8.30 am. Although if you don’t want to miss a thing I recommend getting there a bit earlier. The parade continues along Tha Phae Road until it reaches Chinatown.
The parade was my absolute favourite thing from all the events. You can’t miss it!
On the main stage in Chinatown more festivities await: opening ceremony and stage performances. Yes, there will be some speeches too, but you’ll also hopefully get to see a dragon dance. All the performances were actually pretty nice. You should definitely stay for a while.
So that sums up Chinese New Year morning celebrations.
If you have the energy, you can come back to Chinatown in the evening. From 4 pm there should be more stage performances, music shows and Mister of Chinatown Chiang Mai competition happening.
Usually Maya Mall puts on the show as well. There should be a dragon and lion show happening at 6.00 pm!
It’s packed with my favourite temples, markets, cafés and local gems – all neatly pinned and ready to use!
18th of February – day 3.
There are more events in Chinatown happening, including cooking competitions, cultural performances and Miss Chinatown Chiang Mai pageant in the evening. So head to Chinatown after 2 pm. Hopefully it will be a bit more quiet.
And now when we’re done with major events, there are still a few ways you can experience Chinese New Year in Chiang Mai.
In what other way can you celebrate?
As I mentioned before, many restaurants and hotels, such as Anantara Chiang Mai Resort, Mövenpick and Four Seasons Resort offer special Chinese New Year dinners featuring traditional dishes, lion dance performances, and live entertainment. And since eating “lucky foods” is a part of Chinese New Year traditions, you should definitely consider booking a table. Naturally, it doesn’t have to be in any of the places I mentioned.
Also, major Chiang Mai malls often host Chinese New Year events, including cultural performances, special promotions, and themed decorations. Apparently Maya Mall will put on a show on every night of the celebrations. Hopefully they’ll post more specific information about it. If they do, you’ll be first to know.
What else should you know?
There are a few more things worth mentioning…
It will get busy
Keep in mind that Chiang Mai during Lunar New Year celebrations will be quite busy. Streets around Chinatown and Tha Phae Gate, like Chang Moi Road and Tha Phae Road will be partially or completely closed during the time of the events. This will definitely cause traffic. If you want to get to Chinatown or Tha Phae Gate use Grab or public transport (red trucks) – they will know how to move around Chiang Mai during those days. And if your accommodation is close by – simply walk.
This is how the road closure looked last year.
Speaking of accommodation…
Book your accommodation in advance
Given the influx of visitors during the festive season, it’s recommended to book a place to stay way ahead. Even though there’s countless numbers of hotels and Airbnbs in Chiang Mai, the good ones get booked up quickly. If you need some hotel inspiration, check out my blog post.
Dress respectfully
Sorry, but I have to say it…Even though it’s not a religious holiday per se, please dress respectfully. And in red! Haha Parading through the streets of Chinatown in a bikini or half naked might be a bit offensive. Actually parading through the streets of Chiang Mai in a bikini is always disrespectful. It’s not a beach city and it’s full of temples and monks.
Ok, I think we’re done.
Hope you enjoyed my little Chinese New Year in Chiang Mai guide and you got a little idea of how you’ll want to celebrate it. I will be in Chiang Mai this year to celebrate the Year of Horse with you, to check everything myself and offer you a piece of advice if needed. And to post updates of course! But I really hope you’ll enjoy those magical 3 days and you will welcome the Lunar New Year with a big bang.
And remember – don’t miss the parade! It was the best!
If you have any questions, drop me an email or leave a comment.
Hi, it’s Aga, the author of this blog. If you found this blog post interesting, entertaining or useful, please think of buying me a virtual coffee to support the site’s running costs. But if you know me, I might actually spend it on coffee. Thanks!
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Hi, thanks for info!
Would you have any chance to get more on schedule for 2025?
Would definitely watch this space for your answer!
Hi, I’m checking every day, but unfortunately no schedule yet. For last year’s lantern festival they published it literally one day before, so it might be a while
Hi!
Do you know if there will be fireworks somewhere in Chiang Mai?
And will there be an event at Chiang Mai Chaloem Phrakiat Park?
Hi Shirley, for now I have no info about the fireworks or events in the park. But I’m checking all the websites for official schedule daily. Hopefully they will post something soon.
Nice cut and paste job…thank goodness for the Chiang Mai Kids page …
They actually copied my content! So thanks for bringing that to my attention.