Though its official dates vary across different Asian cultures, the Lunar New Year is a celebration of the start of spring and a new year on the lunisolar calendar.

2025 is the Year of the Snake, an animal representing sensitivity, adaptability, and calm + collective nature.

Expect plenty of lion dances, firecrackers, gifts of money in red envelopes, and other festivities around the Dallas area in the coming weeks. Here are just a few Lunar New Year events to check out.

Galleria Dallas Lantern Festival | Until Monday, Feb. 17 | Various times | Galleria Dallas | Free | Almost 250 Chinese lanterns will be on display over the shopping center's ice skating rink for the holiday, but there's also a schedule of lion dances, author readings, and music planned.
Lunar New Year 2025 | Weekends until Sunday, Feb. 2 | Various times | Asia Times Square, Grand Prairie | Free | Each weekend holds its own wonders — enjoy vendors, food, lion + dragon dances, and a firecracker show.
Lunar New Year Festival | Saturday, Feb. 8 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | DFW Chinatown, Richardson | Free | This big event includes many of the nearby businesses and features lion dances, martial arts demonstrations, calligraphy, art making, and more.