This year's Chinese New Year takes place on February 16 and 2018 is the year of the dog, It's a day of celebration for the roughly 5 million Chinese-Americans and is one of the largest celebrations in the world.
Some refer to the holiday as the Lunar New Year, while others call it Spring Festival. But it’s most commonly called Chinese New Year in the U.S.
The Daily Meal, an online magazine dedicated to dining news and other food-related topics, compiled a list of American cities that it deemed to have the most authentic Chinese New Year celebrations.
These are the cities that were lauded by the Daily Meal as having the best Chinese New Year parades and festivals:
Boston
Boston has the nation's third-largest Chinatown, behind New York and San Francisco, and one of the oldest. Boston's Chinatown holds a flower market the week leading up to the festival, and local schools will hosts galas and dinners.
Chicago
The Daily Meal said Chicago holds parades throughout Chinatown, a lantern festival at the Art Institute of Chicago and celebrations at the Navy Pier on the shore of Lake Michigan and in the area of Argyle Street.
Honolulu
Honolulu hosts annual celebrations in Chinatown and other parts of the city. It even holds one of the oldest ethnic beauty pageants, called the Narcissus Queen Pageant, according to the Daily Meal.
Las Vegas
Sin City gets really festive for the Chinese New Year, with restaurants, hotels and The Strip decorated in red and gold. Attendees can also experience lion dancing and traditional spring festival eats.
Monterey Park, Calif.
The Daily Meal suggests skipping downtown L.A. and heading to Monterey Park for food booths, dances, firecrackers and carnival rides.
New York
Besides offering the best Chinese food in the U.S., New York has a large traffic-stopping parade in its Chinatown, with food vendors and attendees sporting classic and vintage Chinese clothing.
Philadelphia
In Philly, Spring Festival celebrations are held at the Independence Seaport Museum, Penn Museum and International House Philadelphia, along with a parade in Chinatown.
Portland, Ore.
Portland’s celebrations include lantern viewings at Lan Su Chinese Gardens and an annual Chinese New Year Cultural Fair at the Oregon Convention Center.
San Francisco
The Daily Meal rated San Francisco’s dim sum cuisine as the best in the country. Outside of food, attendees will see a parade with lion and dragon dances, traditional Chinese instruments and firecrackers.
Seattle
Seattle has Lunar New Year celebrations rooted in traditions from China and Vietnam, said the Daily Meal. The Tet Festival, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration, is celebrated a week before the Chinese New Year. During the Chinese New Year celebration, attendees can experience something akin to a restaurant week, with restaurants in Chinatown allowing people to sample their menus.
Washington, D.C.
The nation’s capital has festivals and parades, but they’re taking it a step further this year by highlighting the home of the giant panda, China’s Chengdu Plain, at the Kennedy Center.
