Dublin City Council has today announced the full programme for Dublin Lunar New Year 2026, a nine-day citywide festival celebrating the Year of the Horse. Running from Saturday 14 February to Sunday 22 February 2026, the festival will once again bring a vibrant mix of arts, culture, food and performance to venues across the capital.
Founded in 2008, Dublin Lunar New Year is a programme of the City Arts Office within the Culture, Community & Recreation Department of Dublin City Council. The festival celebrates and deepens understanding of the Asian-Irish relationship by presenting an annual programme of cultural exchange that blends traditional and contemporary practices in innovative ways.
The celebrations will culminate on Sunday 22 February with the festival’s flagship event, a free day of festivities in Wolfe Tone Square. This lively, family-friendly celebration will feature a packed programme including K-Pop performances, Cantonese Lion Dancing, a Mongolian traditional band, Samulnori drummers, food stalls, face painting and much more. Further details on the Wolfe Tone Square event will be announced in due course.
Across the nine days, audiences are invited to enjoy an extensive programme of workshops, exhibitions, live performances, film screenings, talks, storytelling sessions and food experiences. Highlights include a special Lunar New Year tasting menu at Saba Restaurant, hands-on family workshops and Mandarin-language tours at the National Gallery of Ireland, and an evening at Hen’s Teeth Blackpitts celebrating emerging Asian perspectives through film and DJ sets.
The Chester Beatty will host Mandarin-language tours, lantern-making workshops and live Korean percussion by the Doo-Doong Samulnori ensemble, while the IFI will screen a newly restored 4K version of Center Stage (1991), presented in partnership with the East Asia Film Festival Ireland and Asia Market. Family events will also take place at Hill Street Family Resource Centre, alongside creative workshops in libraries and cultural venues across the city.
The 2026 Dublin Lunar New Year Ambassador, visual artist Jinny Ly, reflected on the meaning of the festival as a time for memory, reflection and shared wishes for health, prosperity and togetherness.
Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Ray McAdam, welcomed the programme, noting that the Year of the Horse symbolises energy, confidence and forward momentum, values reflected throughout this celebration of community, creativity and diversity in Dublin.
Full programme details are available at dublinlunarnewyear.ie.
