Chinese New Year in Dubai 2020: Things to Do | ExpatWoman.com
 

Things To Do for Chinese New Year in Dubai

Chinese New Year is coming to Dubai, and these are the best things to do and best places to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Rat

Posted on

21 January 2020

Last updated on 21 January 2020
Chinese New Year Dubai: How to celebrate Chinese New Year in Dubai

Chinese New Year 2020 is just around the corner...

Chinese New Year is set to come to Dubai on January 25, 2020 - the annual celebration where families and friends join together, enjoy a great meal, honour ancestors, and celebrate the start of a new year. While the event is primarily celebrated in China, the UAE is home to a vast expatriate community who are eager to get involved.

The event is usually marked with a series of spectacular parades in reds and golds, with the lighting of firecrackers and fireworks at midnight, believed to scare away evil spirits.

Since January, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, and communities across the emirate have been gearing up to celebrate the coming of the Year of the Rat.

So what's happening in Dubai for Chinese New Year? Here are all the fun, family-friendly ways to celebrate Chinese New Year in Dubai as the new year rolls in...

Chinese New Year fireworks at Dubai Festival City

  • Location: Dubai Festival City
  • When: January 25th, 2020

Celebrate a memorable Chinese New Year 2020 with your loved ones as Dubai lights up in dazzling red for the Year of the Rat. Catch the Chinese New Year fireworks at Dubai Festival City on January 25 this year for a stunning pyrotechnics show.

Set near the Festival Boardwalk, it's recommended to head there early and book a table at any one of the waterfront dining options available so you can enjoy a meal along with the celebrations.

Where to see the Chinese New Year fireworks in Dubai

Chinese New Year at Global Village

  • Location: Global Village
  • When: January 25th, 2020
  • Timing: From 4pm

Fancy an exciting parade of reds, golds, dragons, and much more? Watch a traditional Chinese New Year parade in Dubai at Global Village.

Head on over to the massive entertainment, shopping, and dining destination to celebrate the Year of the Rat for only AED 15 per ticket. The ever so vibrant China pavilion will see celebratory decor, live entertainment, CNY food, and other unique cultural products for grabs. On top of a fun Chinese New Year parade, you can also watch the fireworks every Thursday and Friday at 9 PM.

Chinese Spring Festival at The Ritz-Carlton Dubai

  • Location: Blue Jade, The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai
  • When: January 25th to 30th, 2020
  • Timing: 6 pm to 11 pm, daily

For Chinese New Year 2020, the award-winning pan-Asian restaurant Blue Jade at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai will be featuring a delectable Spring Festival menu.

Chef Ta Van and his team are delighted to welcome families and friends to experience a fourteen-course journey of classical Chinese dishes. From January 25 to 30, 2020 at 6 pm to 11 pm daily, UAE residents and visitors can indulge in a special family-style Chinese New Year menu for only AED 288 per person.

For a bigger family (of up to 6 people), enjoy the privacy of a Chinese-inspired room, inclusive of the special CNY fourteen-course menu with soft beverages or Chinese tea for just AED 1,888 for the whole group. Extra guests can join in on the gastronomical experience for AED 250 per person.

Best Chinese New Year lunch dinner in Dubai

Chinese Live Shows and Art at The Dubai Mall

Bring your children to a fun-filled Chinese New Year at The Dubai Mall.

The UAE's largest shopping, leisure, and dining destination will be kicking off the Year of the Rat with a grand celebration at China Art, a magnificent family-friendly affair packed with live performances, puppet shows, musical displays, traditional Chinese games, art and workshops, a Chinese New Year parade running throughout Dubai Mall, mind-challenging games of mahjong, and much, much more.

Laser and Lights Show at the Burj Khalifa

  • Location: Burj Khalifa, outside of the Dubai Mall
  • When: January 25th, 2020
  • Timing: 8 pm and 10 pm

If the Chinese New Year celebrations within the Dubai Mall aren't enough, the world's tallest building - the Burj Khalifa - is set for an amazing laser and lights show in honour of the annual occasions.

Chinese New Year show at Burj Khalifa

Dragon Boat Race at The Point

  • Location: The Pointe, Palm Jumeirah
  • When: January 25th, 2020
  • Timing: 8:30 am to 5 pm

Do you prefer an action-packed alternative to your Chinese New Year festivities? The Dragon Boat Festival will see 50 Dubai-based and international rowing teams compete at this picture-perfect seaside venue at the Palm Jumeirah.

It's a perfect morning till afternoon event for families and friends to enjoy challenging boat-rowing competitions. Afterwards, you can enjoy a delicious CNY lunch or dinner at one of the popular restaurants at The Pointe.

Chinese New Year Shopping Discounts

There's a variety of CNY deals and offers running throughout Dubai. Visit any major shopping mall in the emirate or even Dubai Duty Free at Dubai International (DXB) Airport to find exclusive offers and special discounts on a wide selection of products. You can even score limited-edition New Year gifts and other goodies.

For more retail options, head to Dragon Mart 1 or 2, Dubai's largest trading centre for Chinese-sourced goods, from technology to fashion, household items, and more. If you can manage to tear yourself away from all the shops, you may even catch special Chinese New Year celebrations at Dragon Mart on January 25.

Chinese New Year activities in Dubai

Enjoy a 5-star Chinese Dinner

Ring in Chinese New Year 2020 with a classic Peking duck and other delicious Chinese and Asian dishes at Sakura Restaurant, located in 5* Jood Palace Hotel for only AED 85! Your meal is inclusive of soup, salad, sushi, main course, Peking duck, dessert, a selection of drinks, and free valet parking.

All-You-Can-Eat Chinese Buffet at the Grand Millennium Hotel

Celebrate the Chinese New Year 2020 at Toshi, located in the Grand Millennium Hotel Dubai. Enjoy an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet with unlimited soft drinks from just AED 159 per adult.

Set to the melodic backdrop of traditional Chinese music, you can enjoy a full themed buffet, Peking duck, crispy duck, unlimited select drinks, soups, salads, desserts, appetiers, live cooking stations, sushi, unlimited dim sum, traditional moon cakes, fortunate cookies, and more.

Chinese New Year dinner in Dubai

The China Box at City Walk

  • Location: City Walk
  • When: January 16 to February 8, 2020
  • Timing: Daily

Shopping, leisure, and retail hotspot City Walk is hosting a special CNY-themed pop-up exhibition, complete with arts and crafts, musical performances, interactive live shows, and surprise giveaways.

Asian Street Food and Marketplace

  • Location: The Asian Village, Habtoor Palace
  • When: January 23 to 25, 2020
  • Timing: 5 pm to 10 pm
  • Entrance: FREE

Shop, eat, and enjoy live shows as though you're in China at Habtoor palace's Asian Village. Running until Chinese New Year 2020, this fun marketplace is packed with market stalls with unique items and gifts, street food featuring Chinese favourites such as spring rolls, dumplings, and satay. Children can enjoy the Chinese arts and crafts workshop, music performances, cosplay competition, ballet shows, and the whole family will marvel at the traditional Lion Dance show.

 
 

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