February 15 | 11am–5pm | Free General Admission
Kick off your Lunar New Year celebrations with the Seaport Museum and welcome the Year of the Horse at one of the city’s first festivities of the season! Bring the whole family to participate in a joyful day filled with free General Admission to the Seaport Museum, multiple lion dance performances, and hands-on activities to enrich your visit to the Museum.
Feel the excitement as lively lion dancers leap and twirl aboard the 1885 tall ship Wavertree at 2pm, then follow the fun as the lions parade down Fulton Street, passing the Museum’s Schermerhorn Row galleries. The celebration continues with another energetic performance at 2:30pm in front of the Museum’s Bowne & Co., Stationers shop and A.A. Thomson & Co. exhibition galleries on Water Street. Afterward, don’t miss a special family photo opportunity with the lions at 3pm—a perfect moment to commemorate the day.
From 2:30 to 4:30pm, kids and adults alike can join a maritime-inspired craft activity and create their own festive Lion Chain to take home. Scroll below for more details on the activity and to reserve your space.
Access to the lion dances is included in your free General Admission ticket to the Seaport Museum. Tickets are free but preregistration is encouraged. Walkups will be accommodated as possible.
Nautical Chinese Lion Chains
2:30–4:30pm | 207 Water Street | Free
Continue the Lunar New Year celebration with a hands-on, maritime-inspired craft! Create your own Chinese Lion Chain decoration using colorful paper links inspired by the signal flags sailors use to communicate at sea. It’s a festive activity for all ages and a fun way to blend Lunar New Year traditions with seafaring creativity.
Drop in anytime between 2:30 and 4:30pm to participate—no time slot required. Activities are first-come, first-served, with last admission at 4:30pm. Tickets are free but preregistration is encouraged. Walkups will be accommodated as space allows.
About Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation
Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation (CPLDC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, serving the Manhattan Chinatown, with a mission to act in the public interest by conceiving, designing, implementing, managing, and facilitating economic development projects that benefit residents and organizations in Chinatown in New York City as well as the general public visiting the Chinatown Area through qualitative and quantitative researches, marketing and promotions, and capital public improvements/projects.
About LiveOn NY
The LiveOnNY Foundation supports education and awareness of the lifesaving impact of organ and tissue donation and programs benefitting both donor families and transplant patients through their journeys.
Enjoy More That the Museum Offers
Access to the historic ships and exhibition galleries at the Seaport Museum is included with your ticket to this event! You may visit any time from 11am to 5pm on the day of your event.
General Admission brings you aboard the 1885 tall ship Wavertree and 1908 lightship Ambrose at Pier 16, and into all current exhibitions on view in the first-floor Schermerhorn Row galleries at 12 Fulton Street. Your ticket also sets you on course to explore Maritime City, the Seaport Museum’s immersive, three-floor exhibition at A.A. Thomson & Co., located at 213 Water Street.
Ready for more?
Head over to our Programs and Events page to see what else is happening at the Museum. Sign up for an upcoming talk, learn more about visiting Wavertree, or explore our virtual offerings.