The Best Ways to Celebrate Lunar New Year In Pittsburgh

COMPANY MEMBERS, THE GREAT RACE: THE STORY OF THE CHINESE ZODIAC. PHOTO COURTESY OF PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST

Lunar New Year is basically Pittsburgh’s most delicious excuse to eat dumplings nonstop for a month straight.

One night you’re slurping soup dumplings at Nan Xiang, the next you’re grazing through Novo’s night market with a boba in hand, then wandering past orchids at Phipps while a lion dance crashes through the crowd.

This year marks the Year of the Fire Horse, all momentum and good energy — and the celebrations follow suit. Here’s your cheat sheet to the best bites and events around town.

PHOTO BY AAKANKSHA AGARWAL

Order These Handmade Dumplings

A Squirrel Hill staple, Amazing Dumplings specializes in northern Chinese dumplings. Expect thicker, supple skins; hearty, deeply savory fillings; and plates of pork-and-chive or napa cabbage dumplings meant for generous splashes of black vinegar and chili oil. There are playful detours too, like Kung Pao chicken or ma po tofu dumplings.

A smart move is adding the wide, hot-oil noodles, too; the biang-biang ribbons are slicked with hot oil, garlic, and scallions that arrive in tangled, aromatic heaps and disappear very fast.

PHOTO COURTESY NAN XIANG XIAO LONG BAO

Explore a Michelin-Recommended Menu

If your Lunar New Year plans involve soup dumplings (as they should), start at Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao in the SouthSide Works.

Founded in Flushing, New York in 2006, with six East Coast locations, the Michelin-recommended brand is known for its authentic Jiangsu-Zhejiang cuisine and Shanghainese dim sum, including xiao long bao, handcrafted dumplings made fresh daily using centuries-old techniques.

Their bamboo baskets come filled with meticulously pleated xiao long bao so delicate they quiver when lifted, their thin skins holding a spoonful of rich, gingery broth and pork that tastes almost consommé-like in depth. The menu expands to crab-and-pork dumplings, earthy truffle-laced variations and sheng jian bao with sesame-speckled bottoms.

There are also crisp scallion pancakes, chili oil wontons and fortifying noodle bowls, making it more than worth a dumpling pilgrimage.

2025 PITTSBURGH LUNAR NEW YEAR GALA. PHOTO COURTESY CIVILIZASIAN

Attend the Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Gala

Taking place from 4 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, Greater Pittsburgh’s flagship Lunar New Year celebration is a large-scale gala produced by the Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center in partnership with Pittsburgh Playhouse. Point Park University’s arts hub; it’s arguably the most elaborate Lunar New Year stage event in the region.

Held inside the sleek PNC Theatre, Downtown, the evening kicks off at 4 p.m. with activities in the lobby (think cultural booths, crafts and community tables), before the main show runs from 6 to 8:30pm.

Onstage, expect a wonderfully choreographed mix of lion dances, classical Chinese dance and folk pieces directed by Yanlai Wu (a Beijing Dance Academy–trained choreographer), Qinqiang opera, traditional instruments such as suona, guest vocalists and a few modern, cross-cultural performances.

Tickets are available here.

PHOTO BY SEAN COLLIER

A Tropical Lunar New Year Celebration With Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is hosting its 29th annual Lunar New Year Celebration in the most Pittsburgh way possible — inside a giant Victorian-era glasshouse in the middle of winter.

Taking place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21, the indoor festival is set against the lush backdrop of the Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show: Blooming with Love, which runs through mid-March.

Drift between lion and dragon dances, waist drum performances, guzheng and flute music, and quick-hit Peking opera sets, all while weaving through orchids, bonsai and steamy jungle air.

There are food and craft vendors tucked between the exhibits, while craft tables offering calligraphy and zodiac info dot the glasshouse paths; it’s an excellent opportunity to snack while learning.

PHOTO BY AIDAN MCCLAIN

Wander the Night Market at Novo Asian Food Hall

From 5 to 9 p.m. on Feb 20, Feb. 21, Feb. 27 and Feb. 28, Novo Asian Food Hall in the Strip District food hall morphs into a night market to celebrate the Year of the Horse.

Local vendors will be popping up in the 20th Street Passageway, while there will be holiday specials from every kitchen in the food hall, plus a steady stream of performances and music.

COMPANY MEMBERS, THE GREAT RACE: THE STORY OF THE CHINESE ZODIAC. PHOTO COURTESY OF PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST

The Story of the Chinese Zodiac Comes to Life at Byham Theater

We’ll take a Lunar New Year encore anytime. The Byham Theater hosts The Great Race, a brisk, family-friendly stage retelling of the Chinese zodiac legend — the Jade Emperor, a river race and the 12 animals jockeying for their place in the calendar.

Part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Family Series, this playful stage takes place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 and turns one of China’s most beloved folktales into a theatrical adventure.

Tickets are available here.