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The festival starts with a day dedicated to cleaning and making room for good luck and then there are prayers, family meals, parades, and fireworks. Joburg’s Chinese community always makes sure to celebrate with cultural performances, light displays, and plenty of delicious food with events stretched over two weekends.
Sat, Feb 14, 2026: Chinese New Year Valentine’s Ball
Put a Lunar New Year spin on Valentine’s Day at the Gauteng Chinese Association’s (TCA) Chinese New Year Valentine’s Ball on Sat, Feb 14. Held in the Kgotla Room at the Indaba Hotel in Fourways, this elegant evening blends Chinese New Year tradition with Valentine’s glamour. Expect a formal affair featuring live performances by Lloyd Cele, a lively Dragon and Lion Dance, and a DJ setting the mood for the night. Tickets start from R500 per person. To book, email shirleenman@gmail.com or call +27 72 125 5245.Sun, Feb 15, 2026: Nan Hua Buddhist Vegetarian Lifestyle Fair
The magnificent Nan Hua Buddhist Temple in Bronkhorstspruit, around an hour’s drive northeast of Joburg, welcomes the Chinese New Year with its Vegetarian Lifestyle Fair. Taking place on Sun, Feb 15 from 09:00 – 15:30, this family-friendly celebration marks the Year of the Fire Horse with a blend of culture, mindfulness, and gentle festivity. The day opens with a Chinese New Year Light Offering, setting a calm, reflective tone, before unfolding into a colourful carnival of multicultural food stalls, live performances, and interactive experiences such as the Wishing Tree. Quieter moments are woven throughout, including the “A Drop of Wisdom – 365 Days for Travellers” meditation space. Entrance is free.
Sat, Feb 28, 2026: Chinese New Year Street Festival in Cyrildene
Cyrildene, Joburg’s largest Chinatown, hosts its official street festival on Sat, Feb 28 from 16:30 – 19:30, organised by the Chinatown Johannesburg Community Committee. Expect dragon and lion dances, cultural performances, and a Chinese national costume parade. The street comes alive with colour, lights, and noise, and the fireworks – famously close and loud – are always a highlight. The festival is free and open to all. New Year is Cyrildene’s biggest event of the year, and restaurants book out fast. For dinner with a front-row seat to the action, try Shun De (+27 11 615 1269) or Diao Yu Dao (+27 11 615 1715), both known for streetside tables and festive menus. Or, for a typical Chinese hot pot, Chong Qing Hot Pot (+27 83 554 3054) has a balcony overlooking the street. Book well in advance.
Celebrate at home
If you’d rather welcome the Year of the Fire Horse at home with friends and family, stock up on lanterns, red decorations, and hard-to-find Chinese ingredients at Sui Hing Hong in First Chinatown, Ferreirasdorp. It’s the go-to for a proper home-cooked feast, or you can skip the prep and order a takeaway spread instead. For reliably authentic Chinese food, favourites include the classic Cantonese yum cha institution Shun De in Cyrildene, Emma Chen’s consistently excellent Red Chamber at Hyde Park Corner, and her more casual noodle spot PRON (People’s Republic of Noodles) in Linden. A highly underrated spot is Kung-Fu Kitchen in Bedfordview, previously known as Tong Lok. They also have restaurants in Eden Glen, Midrand, Fourways, Randburg, Parktown and Woodmead, among others.
If you still need festive extras, Joburg’s China malls have you covered. From lanterns and red décor to sparkly Chinese horoscope calendars, the original and largest China Mall in Amalgam in south Joburg is a solid starting point. Red is the luckiest colour in Chinese tradition, especially for New Year gifting, and it’s customary to exchange red envelopes filled with “lucky money” – often gold or silver coins – to usher in good fortune for the year ahead. For more ideas on where to shop, eat, and stock up, see our Chinese Joburg guide.
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