Welcome to the Year of the Horse: Family Events in the Bay Area

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As the new year dawns, bringing hope and excitement, the Bay Area prepares to welcome the Year of the Horse, a time for reflection, growth, and new beginnings. Honoring rich traditions and vibrant cultural heritage, this celebration is a special opportunity for families to come together. Fortunately, the Bay Area offers a variety of family-friendly events that promise fun and enchantment for all ages. Here’s a look at some wonderful ways to celebrate the Year of the Horse with your loved ones!

Featured
Lion Dance with Jing Mo Athletic Association
Jan 17
Portola Library
Lion Dance with Jing Mo Athletic Association
Portola Library

Celebrate the Year of the Horse with a Lion Dancing performance with Jing Mo Athletic Association.

Portola Library
The Peking Acrobats
Jan 20
Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
The Peking Acrobats
Luther Burbank Center for the Arts

The Peking Acrobats® perform daring maneuvers with technical prowess that pushes the limits of human ability and defies gravity with amazing displays of contortion, flexibility, and control.

Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
San Francisco: Lion Dance with Jing Mo Athletic Association
Jan 24
San Francisco Main Library
San Francisco: Lion Dance with Jing Mo Athletic Association
San Francisco Main Library

Celebrate the Year of the Horse with a Lion Dancing performance with Jing Mo Athletic Association. Learn more about the rich heritage of Lunar New Year traditions, see a spectacular martial arts demonstration and touch a piece of lucky lettuce to start your year off right. 

San Francisco Main Library
Santa Rosa: Lunar New Year Festival
Jan 31
Children’s Museum of Sonoma County
Santa Rosa: Lunar New Year Festival
Children’s Museum of Sonoma County

Join us for a family-friendly celebration of the 2026 Lunar New Year: the Year of the Horse! We are proud to partner with the Redwood Empire Chinese Association to present the wonders and joy of the Lunar New Year at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County.

Children’s Museum of Sonoma County
Oakland Asian Pacific New Year Celebration
Feb 7
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Oakland Asian Pacific New Year Celebration
Oakland Asian Cultural Center

Join us on Saturday, February 7, 2026, for the Oakland Asian Cultural Center’s fourth annual Lunar New Year x Black History Month Community Celebration.

Oakland Asian Cultural Center
San Francisco: Lunar New Year Good Luck Parade & Night Market
Feb 7
Richmond District
San Francisco: Lunar New Year Good Luck Parade & Night Market
Richmond District

The Year of the Horse symbolizes energy, strength, and forward momentum. Inspired by this, “Super Horse – Super Hope” celebrates the Richmond District’s shared aspirations for a brighter year ahead.

Richmond District
San Jose: Lunar New Year Festival by 365 Night Market
Feb 13
Grand Century Shopping Mall
San Jose: Lunar New Year Festival by 365 Night Market
Grand Century Shopping Mall

Join San Jose’s Lunar New Year Festival, with 50+ vendors, delicious food, shopping, music, cultural entertainment, and free admission.

Grand Century Shopping Mall
Millbrae: Lunar New Year Festival
Feb 14
Millbrae Downtown
Millbrae: Lunar New Year Festival
Millbrae Downtown

Celebrate the start of the Year 2026 at the Millbrae Lunar New Year Festival!

Millbrae Downtown
Oakland Little Saigon Tết Festival (Lunar New Year Festival)
Feb 15
Clinton Park
Oakland Little Saigon Tết Festival (Lunar New Year Festival)
Clinton Park

Come celebrate the Year of the Horse with the Oakland Little Saigon community as we kick off 2026 together!

Clinton Park
San Jose Lunar New Year-Tet Festival
Feb 20
Eastridge Mall Sears Parking Lot
San Jose Lunar New Year-Tet Festival
Eastridge Mall Sears Parking Lot

TẾT FESTIVAL 2026! UStar Productions proudly presents the Largest Vietnamese Lunar New Year – Tết Festival in San Jose

Eastridge Mall Sears Parking Lot
Oakland: Lunar New Year Celebration and Other Asian Traditions: Year of the Horse
Feb 21
Oakland Museum of California
Oakland: Lunar New Year Celebration and Other Asian Traditions: Year of the Horse
Oakland Museum of California

Gather with us at OMCA for our 25th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration. Celebrate and honor Lunar New Year traditions through family-friendly storytelling, performances, activities, and more!

Oakland Museum of California
Santana Row Lunar New Year Celebrations
Feb 21
Santana Row
Santana Row Lunar New Year Celebrations
Santana Row

Santana Row welcomes the Year of the Horse with Lunar New Year festivities for the whole family.

Santana Row
Milpitas: Lantern Blessing Festival
Feb 21
Bodhi Meditation Silicon Valley
Milpitas: Lantern Blessing Festival
Bodhi Meditation Silicon Valley

Get ready to light up the night with lanterns and blessings at the 2026 Lunar New Year Festival!

Bodhi Meditation Silicon Valley
Oakland: Lunar New Year
Feb 21
Plaza by Plank
Oakland: Lunar New Year
Plaza by Plank

Jack London Square will be celebrating the “Year of the Horse” with a fun-filled Lunar New Year event on Saturday, February 21, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM located in the plaza near Plank. 

Plaza by Plank
San Jose: Lunar New Year Celebration: Multicultural Arts Festival
Feb 22
San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
San Jose: Lunar New Year Celebration: Multicultural Arts Festival
San Jose Center for the Performing Arts

Get Ready for an evening filled with vibrant performances, diverse cultures, and artistic expressions.

San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
San Francisco: Heartbeats Drumbeats: Community As One
Feb 24
Portola Library
San Francisco: Heartbeats Drumbeats: Community As One
Portola Library

The Library’s annual joint celebration of Black History Month and the Lunar New Year, returns to the Main Library.

Portola Library
Children's Fairyland Lunar New Year
Feb 26
Children's Fairyland
Children's Fairyland Lunar New Year
Children's Fairyland

Giddy-up! It’s time for a full gallop into the Year of the Fire Horse, also known as the Red Horse Year. Revered for its strength, perseverance, and limitless freedom, the Fire Horse is an emblem of innovation, progress, prosperity, and transformation. 

Children's Fairyland
Oakland Chinatown's Lunar New Year Parade
Feb 28
Wilma Chan Park
Oakland Chinatown's Lunar New Year Parade
Wilma Chan Park

Bring your enthusiasm, come dressed in your most festive outfits, and support the community!

Wilma Chan Park
San Francisco: Lion Dance with West Coast Lion Dance Troupe
Feb 28
Ortega Library
San Francisco: Lion Dance with West Coast Lion Dance Troupe
Ortega Library

Ring in the Year of the Horse with a traditional lion dance from the West Coast Lion Dance Troupe.

Ortega Library
Woodside: Lunar New Year Family Day
Feb 28
Filoli
Woodside: Lunar New Year Family Day
Filoli

The new year is a time for cultural traditions, family gatherings, and hopes for good fortune in the coming year. The festivities will include traditional Lion Dance performances, music performances, Filoli’s collection of Asian art and decor displayed throughout the Historic House, activities with local community partners, and much more!

Filoli
San Francisco: Lion Dance
Feb 28
Little Footprints Preschool
San Francisco: Lion Dance
Little Footprints Preschool

Ring in the Year of the Horse with a traditional lion dance from the West Coast Lion Dance Troupe.

Little Footprints Preschool
San Francisco: Lion Dance with West Coast Lion Dance Troupe
Feb 28
Excelsior Library
San Francisco: Lion Dance with West Coast Lion Dance Troupe
Excelsior Library

Ring in the Year of the Horse with a traditional lion dance from the West Coast Lion Dance Troupe.

Excelsior Library
Woodside: Celebrating Lunar New Year with Winnie Wong
Feb 28
Filoli
Woodside: Celebrating Lunar New Year with Winnie Wong
Filoli

Celebrate Lunar New Year with an enchanting performance by musician Winnie Wong.

Filoli
San Francisco: West Coast Lion Dance Troupe
Feb 28
Bayview/Linda Brooks-Burton
San Francisco: West Coast Lion Dance Troupe
Bayview/Linda Brooks-Burton

Ring in the Year of the Horse with a traditional lion dance from the West Coast Lion Dance Troupe.

Bayview/Linda Brooks-Burton
San Francisco Symphony Presents Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse
Feb 28
Davies Symphony Hall
San Francisco Symphony Presents Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse
Davies Symphony Hall

Welcome the Year of the Horse with the San Francisco Symphony! Our annual Lunar New Year event draws upon Asian traditions, past and present, in a celebration of music and community.

Davies Symphony Hall
San Francisco: Lunar New Year 5K/10K Run/Walk
Mar 1
Portsmouth Square Garage
San Francisco: Lunar New Year 5K/10K Run/Walk
Portsmouth Square Garage

2026 is the Year of the Horse, known for charisma, ambition, and social nature—the perfect symbol for an adventurous and energetic run. 

Portsmouth Square Garage
San Francisco: Community Street Fair
Mar 7
Community Street Fair
San Francisco: Community Street Fair
Community Street Fair

Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of San Francisco’s exhilarating Chinatown during one of the community’s most exciting times of the year.

Community Street Fair
San Francisco: Chinese New Year Parade
Mar 7
Chinese New Year Parade
San Francisco: Chinese New Year Parade
Chinese New Year Parade

Named one of the top ten Parades in the world by International Festivals & Events Association, the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco is one of the few remaining night illuminated Parades in North America and the biggest parade celebrating the lunar new year outside of Asia.

Chinese New Year Parade
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