South Street Seaport Museum to Launch Free General Admission And Programming For Lunar New Year

Join the South Street Seaport neighborhood Lunar New Year celebration and enjoy free General Admission to the South Street Seaport Museum on February 17, from 11am to 5pm!

Immerse yourself in the vibrant celebrations featuring lively lion dance performances, engaging Chinese Calligraphy Workshops, and maritime-inspired craft activities to usher in the Year of the Dragon, presented in collaboration with the New York Chinese Cultural Center and the Seaport.

Seaport Square will come alive with three dynamic lion dance performances starting at 1:00pm. Explore below for details on special all-ages activities happening at the Seaport Museum. seaportmuseum.org/lunar-new-year

Chinese Calligraphy Workshop

February 17 | 2pm, 3pm, 4pm | 207 Water Street | Free

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, join the Seaport Museum and skilled teaching artists from the New York Chinese Cultural Center for one of three delightful 45-minute workshops exploring the art of Chinese Calligraphy and its importance to the Lunar New Year.

Using a traditional calligraphy brush, participants will be instructed on how to write simple characters while exploring the relationship between ancient Chinese pictographs and their modern-day ideographs. Together, we will learn the evolution of the Chinese characters that tie to fish, the sea, and a prosperous New Year.

While primarily designed for children ages 7-12, these workshops are open to all ages for free.

Due to limited capacity, advanced registration is required. If tickets are unavailable for a specific time, pre-registration for that workshop has reached capacity. In case registration is full, try our in-person cancellation line starting 10 minutes before each workshop.

Nautical Chinese Lion Chains

February 17, 18 | 11am-4:30pm | 12 Fulton Street | Free with General Admission

Celebrate the Lunar New Year all weekend long with the Seaport Museum's maritime-inspired spin on a Chinese Lion Chain craft. Come create your own unique lion chain decoration using paper links inspired by the colorful signal flags, which sailors use to communicate.

This fun-filled activity is in partnership with the New York Chinese Cultural Center.

On February 17 this activity is included with Free General Admission tickets. On February 18, this activity is included with Pay What You Wish General Admission. No additional registration required.

Extend Your Visit

General Admission includes access to all current exhibitions on view in the introduction gallery space at 12 Fulton Street and access to the 1885 tall ship Wavertree. Free timed tickets for a tour of the 1908 lightship Ambrose are available separately at no additional cost.