Adelaide Arcade

This picture: Adelaide Arcade/via website

This Lunar New Year Adelaide Arcade will be decked out with a display of Chinese lanterns symbolising happiness and good luck. In front of the Arcade’s Rundle Mall entrance, there will be a lion dance performance at 1pm on Wednesday, January 29. Arcade staff will hand out lucky red envelopes containing a gold chocolate coin, symbolising “the giving of happiness and blessings,” with some lucky envelopes including an Adelaide Arcade gift voucher.

Adelaide City Library

If you enjoy getting crafty, the Adelaide City Library is hosting a workshop to make your own Chinese drum. Learn how to make the customised instrument with all materials provided and be encouraged to march to your own beat this new year. Children aged 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. The event is free, but you’re encouraged to register via Humanitix.

Chinatown

Premier Peter Malinauskas and performers at the Chinatown Lunar New Year Street Party 2024. This picture: via Facebook

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Chinatown Adelaide will host its annual Lunar New Year street party on Saturday, February 8. Stalls will be trading from 12pm ‘til 9:30pm on Gouger and Moonta Street with the official festivities running from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Expect displays from Asian cultural groups sharing their traditions through art, music and of course plenty of food. The colourful lion dancers will roam the Chinatown and Central Market district to guide you to the party.

Her Majesty’s Theatre

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This picture: Adelaide Festival Centre/via website

Her Majesty’s Theatre Lunar New Year concert on January 31 will feature the Australian debut of the Hong Kong String Orchestra, led by virtuoso Yao Jue. The performance will include Vivaldi classics, traditional Eastern pieces, and a collaboration with pianist Yundi Yuan. The performance will run for about two hours. Tickets are available via the Adelaide Festival Centre website. 

Koomo

Lobster rolls from Koomo. This picture: supplied

On Wednesday, January 29 Koomo, located in Crowne Plaza is holding a special prosperity toss salad event. Throughout the day, groups of four can order the salad, known as Yee Sang, a colourful dish traditionally eaten during Lunar New Year celebrations, particularly in Malaysia and Singapore. Made with kingfish, salmon, and tuna, it symbolises abundance, prosperity, and good fortune for the year ahead.

The salad includes shredded carrots, radish, cucumber, smoked salmon (or sashimi-grade fish), pickled ginger, pomelo, and crispy wonton strips, dressed in a sweet and tangy sauce. Part of the tradition is a communal tossing where diners gather around the table and toss the salad high in the air with chopsticks, while calling out lucky phrases and wishes for the new year. The higher the toss, the greater your luck.

The prosperity toss salad is priced at $88.80 for a serving of four, bookings are available via the Koomo website.

MOMODA by Krish

Momoda by Krish is an Asian fusion oasis. This picture: Claudia Dichiera/CityMag

Hidden away inside Stepney’s The Maid Hotel, MOMODA by Krish is hosting a Chinese New Year Feed Me Menu from January 22 ’til February 1. The menu includes Coffin Bay oysters, prawn dumplings, crispy Australian squid, open-fire roasted eggplant and more.

The Chinese New Year feed me menu is $88 per person. Book via the MOMODA website.

Rundle Mall

Lunar New Year in Rundle Mall. This picture: City of Adelaide

Acrobatic lion dancers will perform every hour in Rundle Mall from 12pm ‘til 6pm on Friday, January 31. Organisers say the God of Fortune will distribute red envelopes with gold chocolate coins, and one with a $250 Rundle Mall voucher for one lucky recipient.

Stamford Grand

Stamford Grand Adelaide will host a Lunar New Year High Tea, blending Singaporean, Australian, and Asian flavours, to celebrate the Year of the Snake. This is their third year hosting a Lunar New Year event, with Singaporean culture at it’s heart given Stamford Grand is a Singaporean brand. The high tea menu includes savoury items such as chilli crab buns, char siu pork sliders, satay chicken, and Sichuan pepper beef tartlets. Sweet treats include red bean cheesecake bites, pandan and coconut lamingtons, lychee yoghurt mousse cups, and mango and passionfruit sago pudding. Two sessions will be held each day on January 29, February 1 and 2, 2025, at 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm.

The Stamford Grand is located at 2 Jetty Rd, Glenelg. The high tea is $79 per person and bookings are available via Eventbrite.

This listicle was produced with the help of Evan, CityMag’s AI event assistant. Evan keeps up with Adelaide’s thriving events calendar so our journalists can spend more time chasing the stories that matter to the city. He saves us time so you can have a good time. To find out what else is happening in Adelaide, visit CityMag’s what’s on guide.