The NGV is hosting a Lunar New Year festival with free ice cream, mahjong, DJ sets, workshops and a Victor Liong menu
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22.01.2025

The NGV is hosting a Lunar New Year festival with free ice cream, mahjong, DJ sets, workshops and a Victor Liong menu

Lunar New Year
Lion dances at the NGV Lunar New Year Celebrations 2024 at NGV International, Melbourne. Photo: Tim Carrafa
Words by Staff Writer

The National Gallery of Victoria's annual Lunar New Year festivities will return in February 2025, offering a free weekend of cultural performances, workshops, and specially curated food experiences to welcome the Year of the Snake.

Acclaimed Melbourne chef Victor Liong has created a bespoke menu for the celebration, featuring Kashgari cumin lamb skewers, dumplings, and five-spiced duck sausage rolls. The Lee Ho Fook restaurateur, whose CBD venue holds two Chef’s Hats, will also participate in a culinary discussion alongside ABC Chopsticks or Fork? host Jennifer Wong.

NGV director Tony Ellwood AM emphasized the festival’s role in preserving cultural heritage. “Our annual Lunar New Year celebrations bring together our whole community for a weekend of non-stop cultural activities,” he said, highlighting the importance of sharing multicultural traditions.

Lunar New Year at the NGV

  • NGV International, St Kilda Road
  • February 1-2, 2025

Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.

The program features traditional performances including lion dances by Hong De Lion Dance Association and bian lian face-changing performances from Sichuan opera. The Mei Lan Fang’s Chinese Beijing Opera Friendship Association & Chinese Beijing Opera Club of Melbourne will present Peking opera performances in the Clemenger BBDO Auditorium.

For younger visitors, artist Yiwon Park will lead workshops creating traditional Korean bokjumeoni fortune pouches. The NGV Garden will host mahjong games and offer complimentary Häagen-Dazs ice cream from 3:30pm daily.

Additional activities include DJ sets by Rainbow Chan and Small Fry in the Great Hall, plus guided tours of the NGV Collection in both Mandarin and English, focusing on lucky symbols within the International Decorative Arts collection.

The HSBC-presented event includes complimentary loose-leaf tea from Lee Ho Fook for attendees of the culinary discussion, where Liong and Wong will explore how food symbolizes prosperity and familial connection during lunar new year celebrations.

All events are free and open to the public across both days of the festival. For more information visit the NGV website: NGV.MELBOURNE