LONDON is alive with celebration this month as the Spring Festival gets underway. Today marks the first day of the Lunar New Year, and the city’s diverse population are putting on a host of events while restaurants are rolling out their magical Lunar New Year menus.
Although London’s famous parade has been cancelled this year, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year in the English capital this month:
Battersea Power Station’s Light Festival
Battersea Power Station has six spectacular installations from international artists on display between the 13th of January and the 27th of February 2022 which can be viewed for free.
There are also retailers on-site – hot drinks and sweet treats from Black Sheep Coffee and newly opened Japanese patisserie, Kova. There is also fresh British seafood at Wright Brothers and bottomless pizza at Gordon Ramsay’s Street Pizza. Vagabond Wines are serving up the grape nectar.
Place & date: 188 Kirtling Street, Nine Elms | 13/01/20221 – 27/02/2022
Lunar New Year at BAO
BAO London is holding competitions this month, with visitors in with the chance to win mysterious red envelopes full of treats. Each time you eat at BAO and order one of their lucky classic or daikon buns you will automatically receive an envelope with a special prize inside, which range from £5 vouchers to spend at Convni digital supermarket, to crates of BAO’s own beer and a mega-prize: a metal pass that will grant you a bao a day for every day of 2022
The prizes apply to in-restaurant orders at any BAO location as well as take-away, and if you order a Lunar New Year, Classic or Daikon DIY home kit you’ll get a prize too.
Place & date: Several locations across London | 28/01/2022 – 13/02/2022
MiMi Mei Fair’s special feasting menu
A special Lunar New Year menu is available at MiMi Mei Fair this month and consists of dim sum, grilled ginger soya silver cod, wok-baked lobster, seared oysters and much more. After dinner guests can write their wishes of health, happiness, and success for the coming year and hang them on the tree.
Place & date: 55 Curzon Street, Mayfair | 24/01/2022 – 15/02/2022
Poon’s and Mortimer House collaboration dinner
Famed Chinese kitchen Mortimer House is presenting a special collaboration with another London stalwart Poon’s to welcome the Lunar New Year. This exclusive event will be overseen by Bill Poon himself with his children, Amy and Alan Poon, in the kitchen to present two radically different dining events on consecutive evenings.
Wednesday the 9th of February’s event is called Steamboat and is all about hotpot, while the following day guests can tuck into a five-course feast of classic Poon’s dishes like pork and bamboo shoot wontons, braised beef flank with Chinese radish, and drunken chicken. Tickets are £55 per person and can be found here.
Place & date: 37 – 41 Mortimer Street, Fitzrovia | 09/02/2022 – 10/02/2022