Gallop into the Year of the Horse with these Lunar New Year events on the Gold Coast
The Year of the Horse is here, so it’s time to kick off the Lunar New Year with plenty of feasting, family-friendly fun and a side of good fortune. From dishes of mouth-watering traditional cuisine to dazzling light displays, live lion dancers and street parties, here’s a handful of must-do Lunar New Year events and dining experiences happening across the Gold Coast.
The Star Gold Coast, Broadbeach
Ring in the Year of the Horse with plates of delicious food, vibrant festivities and good fortune at The Star Gold Coast, with a range of dining specials and festive entertainment. On February 20-21, The Star celebrates the Lunar New Year with roaming lion dancers, a drum performance, traditional symbols and the God of Wealth. Taking place outside Uncle Su, the Lunar New Year entertainment begins at 7:30 pm each night, fostering prosperity, good fortune and celebration of culture. Across the month of February, some of The Star’s venues will celebrate the Year of the Horse with festive dining specials, including Uncle Su, where diners can find menus of traditional favourites and exotic dishes that are worthy of a Lunar New Year celebration. On weekends, take delicious dining to a new level at Harvest Buffet, to feast on a spread of Asian-inspired favourites from honey siracha chicken to beef teriyaki, with the addition of Peking duck exclusively available on Friday February 13 and Friday February 20. Over at Mei Wei Dumplings, enjoy a delicious dining special of Hainanese chicken and spring rolls with bubble tea or a glass of wine, available only in February.
Gold Coast Chinatown, Southport
Saddle up to welcome the Year of the Horse at Southport’s Chinatown, where a vibrant melting pot of colour, cuisine, celebration and cultural entertainment awaits. Taking place along Davenport and Young streets, the Lunar New Year celebrations kick off at 3:00 pm with festivities designed to invite vitality and perseverance. Expect lion and dragon dancers, a SOPO wishing tree, Kizuna drummers, food trucks, market stalls and a bold fireworks finale at 7:30 pm. There will also be a range of kids’ activities available, including lotus origami making, Chinese stamp making, woodblock printing, Chinese name writing, face painting and diabolo playing.
Citrique, Surfers Paradise
Celebrate the Year of the Horse with an award-winning seafood and grill buffet featuring authentic Chinese cuisine at Citrique, where fresh produce, premier meats and local seafood abound. Chef Hsien Hsieh, Citrique’s Chinese specialty chef, brings contemporary, refined interpretations of Chinese flavours, while dim sum specialty chef Phitchanan Natsatianpong combines her traditional Thai techniques with a contemporary approach to flavour. On February 16–17, guests can enjoy a performance of lion dancers to ring in the Lunar New Year with flair.
Jasmine Room, Southport
Enjoy an evening full of flavour, fortune and fun at Jasmine Room, Southport’s experts in Chinese cuisine. On Tuesday February 17 and Saturday February 21, Jasmine Room is celebrating the Year of the Horse with a delectable Chinese feast and electrifying lion dances lighting up the restaurant at 7:15 pm each night. The special Lunar New Year menu features starters like xiao long bao dumplings, vegetarian spring rolls, prawn toast and siu mai dumplings. Enjoy mains like Mongolian lamb, honey king prawns, black pepper diced eye fillet, salt-and-pepper calamari and cashew chicken with Yangzhou fried rice before finishing with fortune cookies and coconut pudding.
The Langham T’ang Court, Surfers Paradise
Get set for an indulgent Chinese New Year celebration at The Langham with the cherished tradition of authentic contemporary Cantonese cuisine at T’ang Court. Celebrate with two curated banquet menus masterfully crafted by Chef Zeph Yip alongside a bespoke array of Cantonese classics, including braised South Australian lobster, black pepper Imperial Blossom Wagyu beef tenderloin, steamed FNQ coral trout, spanner crabmeat, cured-ham soup and more. From February 16–18, celebrate the Year of the Horse at The Langham’s T’ang Court with an indulgent culinary experience.
Mamasan, Broadbeach
To celebrate the Chinese New Year, Mamasan will present a curated dining offering designed to welcome the Year of the Horse, symbolising prosperity, abundance, luck and wealth. Guests can enjoy a selection of dishes, including Western Australian lobster kimchi dumplings with ponzu, coral trout with caviar beurre blanc, Mongolian rib-eye beef with enoki, and caramelised banana semifreddo to finish. The special also includes two specially curated Lunar New Year cocktails.
Australia Fair, Southport
Australia Fair will come alive this February with a vibrant program of cultural performances, festive experiences, family-friendly fun and must-visit dining experiences to welcome the Year of the Fire Horse. From February 18-20, feel the rhythm and excitement of traditional lion dancing performances, a symbol believed to bring good fortune, prosperity and positive energy for the year ahead. A range of Australia Fair’s dining venues will offer Lunar New Year dining experiences, including delicious handmade dumplings at Yuyin Chinese Cuisine, traditional hand-pulled noodles at Lanzhou Beef Noodle, Chinese comfort dishes at Delicious Dumplings, and more. Explore Australia Fair’s full Lunar New Year dining guide here.
Southport Sharks, Southport
To ring in the Lunar New Year, Southport Sharks is celebrating with two days of memorable performances and traditional cuisine. On Monday February 16 at 7:30 pm, catch a spectacular lion dance performance before a full Year of the Horse celebration on Tuesday 17 February welcomes the new year in style. To best enjoy this vibrant evening of family-friendly fun, Southport Sharks recommends booking a table at Frenzy’s, where guests can indulge in the Chinese-themed buffet available for the month of February. For the entire month, Frenzy’s buffet will include authentic favourites including lemon chicken, Szechuan pork and chive dumplings, sweet and sour pork, steamed fish with ginger and shallots, sesame noodles, Cantonese-style pork belly and much more.
Dreamworld Night Market, Coomera
Dreamworld Night Market is hosting a vibrant evening of flavour, movement and celebration to welcome the Year of the Horse this Lunar New Year. Find a large selection of Asian food trucks, Lion Dance performances throughout the night and live tunes across February 20-21.