This year, Tuesday, February 17, 2026 marks the Chinese New Year of the Horse (also known as Lunar New Year or Spring festival), which is celebrated throughout Phuket. If you head over to Phuket Old Town to stock up on Chinese New Year decorations you can see the streets decorated beautifully with road side stalls selling lanterns, new clothes and auspicious trinkets in all shapes and sizes. Thailand takes Chinese New Year seriously and you will find many Chinese themed events for families happening around the city, goodies and treats in all shapes and sizes and we have created a great blog on DIY Chinese New Year themed art & crafts you can make with the kids.
What is Chinese New Year
The New Year celebration is centred around removing the bad and the old, and welcoming the new and the good. It’s a time to worship ancestors, exorcise evil spirits and pray for good harvest. Today it’s celebrated also by Chinese communities outside the country and Thailand has the largest Chinese community outside of China so Thailand take their celebrations seriously!
The New Year is based on the Chinese lunar calendar and represented by 12 animals and 5 elements in a 12 year cycle. A specific animal is assigned each year and one of the elements of metal, water, wood, fire and earth. People take Chinese astrology very seriously and more so at this time of year when astrologers set up stalls around the streets of China Town to predict your fortune for the new year.
Many Celebrations
The celebrations normally run from Chinese New Years Eve to the 15th day and 3 important activities feature in the build up to the big event. Shopping day, before New Year’s Eve when people shop for gifts, food and offerings. Praying day, when prayers and offerings are made to their golds and ancestors for wealth and prosperity in the New Year. Adults will give small red pockets called Ang-Pao as gifts of money to their children or employees wishing good wealth and health. The act of giving someone an Ang-Pao is a blessing but for the kids it’s all about the money! Be sure never to let your kids open an Ang-Pao right there and then though; it’s seen as very rude and disrespectful.
Then comes, New Year’s Day or is commonly known as Going out day when families come together to celebrate and enjoy the festivities, with food being a heavily featured part of this day! People will dress in colorful clothes mainly red and gold which are seen as the colours of good fortune and friends and family will exchange oranges which are believed to bring luck and prosperity.
Where To Participate
Many of the hotels and Chinese restaurants will have Chinese New Year feasts and banquets available and large shopping malls are once again competing for the most elaborate decorations, Phuket really takes this matter seriously. Overnight malls are transformed into a sea of red lanterns and paper dragons and many offer workshops centered around family time and Chinese New Year Activities where kids can make their own Chinese New Year animals and try their hand at Chinese calligraphy.
1. Phuket Old Town
- Details: Phuket’s Old Town features beautiful and unique Sino-Portuguese architecture. During Chinese New Year, the streets and buildings in this area are decorated with red lanterns, and there are cultural performances, including lion dances and dragon dances. There are also religious ceremonies and traditional events to celebrate the occasion.
- Highlights: Red lantern decorations, lion and dragon dances, and religious rituals at shrines.
2. Jui Tui Shrine
- Details: Jui Tui Shrine is one of the most important Chinese shrines in Phuket with a long history related to the Chinese community in the area. During Chinese New Year, the shrine hosts ceremonies and prayers for prosperity, featuring lion dances, prayers, and offerings to deities.
- Highlights: Ceremonies at the Jui Tui Shrine, lion dance performances, and offerings to the gods.
3. Kathu Shrine
- Details: Located in Kathu, this shrine is another significant religious site for the Chinese community in Phuket. During Chinese New Year, the shrine hosts ceremonies to honor deities and pray for good luck in the coming year.
- Highlights: Ceremonial practices, lion and dragon dances at Kathu Shrine.
4. Local Markets (e.g., Phuket Old Market)
- Details: The Old Phuket Market is a hub for the local Chinese community. During Chinese New Year, markets are filled with traditional items such as offerings, fruit for fortune, and Chinese New Year sweets.
- Highlights: Shopping for traditional New Year offerings and decorations.
5. Chinese New Year Festival at Phuket Shopping Malls
- Details: Some shopping centers and malls in Phuket organize Chinese New Year festivals, featuring cultural performances, red lantern decorations, and special Chinese New Year product sales.
- Highlights: Cultural shows and vibrant decorations in shopping malls.
6. Lion and Dragon Dance Performances
- Details: Lion and dragon dance performances are a key feature of Chinese New Year celebrations. Especially in the Old Town and at local shrines, lion dances are performed to bring good fortune and drive away bad luck.
- Highlights: Colorful lion and dragon dances, symbolic of driving away evil spirits and attracting luck.
7. Merit-Making at Wat Chalong
- Details: Wat Chalong is a well-known temple in Phuket, and during Chinese New Year, the temple hosts merit-making activities. Many Chinese and Thai people visit Wat Chalong to pray for prosperity and good health in the new year.
- Highlights: Merit-making ceremonies at Wat Chalong for health and prosperity.
Wherever you may go to celebrate Chinese New year we wish you a very happy Gong Xi Fa Cai
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Editors Note: For families with babies and small children: Fire crackers are often used to announce the arrival of the lion dance, whilst this is safe it can be quite boisterous and alarming.
