The dragon is said to be the luckiest symbol in the Chinese zodiac, and soothsayers are predicting a year of optimism, change and prosperity, so welcome it in grand fashion at Chinese New Year festivities.
At Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden's Year of the Dragon Temple Fair, you can sample great food, take in live music, and enjoy water calligraphy, paper dragon folding, dumpling making, fortune telling, a lucky coin toss and more.
Then treat yourself to one of North America's largest Chinese New Year parades in downtown Vancouver, where you'll find hundreds of dancers, marching bands, local luminaries, and plenty of dragons – as well as more than 50,000 revellers.
Care to do a little New Year's shopping? Head for the Year of the Dragon Celebration at International Village, where you'll find vendors, live shows and an hourly lucky draw.
Chinese New Year festivities are happening around downtown Vancouver Saturday and Sunday. For more info, visit cbavancouver.ca, vancouverchinesegarden.com, and henderson-development.ca/theinternationalvillage.