- London Chinese New Year Celebrations
- Sheffield Chinese Lunar New Year Festival
- Manchester Chinese New Year Celebrations
- Liverpool Chinese New Year Celebrations
- Advice for affordable train travel
Chinese New Year is a 15-day Chinese festival that marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring in line with the new moon that occurs between 21 January and 20 February. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture, and in 2026, it falls on the 17th of February, ringing in the Year of the Horse.
Being that it is such a significant holiday, the Chinese New Year is also celebrated in Chinese communities around the world, including the UK. If you plan on travelling to a Chinese New Year celebration in the UK, arriving by train is a comfortable, reliable way to get to the festivities, and train stations usually boast strategic central locations, so you can hop off at the heart of the action! Below, we’ll highlight the UK’s key Chinese New Year 2026 events and share the easiest train routes to get you there hassle-free!
London Chinese New Year Celebrations
Event Date(s): 17 February 2026
Location: Chinatown, Trafalgar Square, West End
Nearest Underground Station(s): Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Tottenham Court Road
Travel Tips: The 2026 Chinese New Year parade in London is accessible via Piccadilly and Northern Lines; plan for crowds.
Event Highlights: London Chinese New Year hosts the largest celebrations outside of Asia: expect parades, lion dances, and food stalls.
Popular Underground routes:
- London Kings Cross to Leicester Square Piccadilly
- London Waterloo to Tottenham Court Road Northern
- London Euston to Tottenham Court Road Northern
Sheffield Chinese Lunar New Year Festival
Event Dates: 21–22 February 2026
Location: Peace Gardens, 50 Pinstone Street, S1 2HH
Nearest Train Station(s): Sheffield Station (approx. 10-minute walk)
Travel Tips: You can find direct trains to the 2026 Sheffield Chinese New Year celebrations from London, Manchester, and Leeds.
Event Highlights: Expect lion and dragon dances, food stalls, and cultural performances. Sheffield Chinese New Year events also support the work of The Children’s Hospital Charity.
Popular routes:
Manchester Chinese New Year Celebrations
Event Dates: Dates to be confirmed
Location: Chinatown, Manchester
Nearest Train Station(s): Manchester Piccadilly
Travel Tips: If you’re visiting Manchester’s 2026 Chinese New Year festivities, you’ll find direct trains from many different cities across the UK, such as London, Edinburgh and Leeds.
Event Highlights: Dragon parade, traditional performances, food stalls and cultural exhibitions.
Popular routes:
Liverpool Chinese New Year Celebrations
Event Dates: Dates to be confirmed
Location: Chinatown, Liverpool
Nearest Train Station(s): Liverpool Lime Street
Travel Tips: Many cities in the UK offer direct trains to Liverpool’s 2026 Chinese New Year events. Book in advance on Trip.com to snag the cheapest tickets.
Event Highlights: Chinese Dragon, Unicorn and Lion procession, craft stalls, cultural performances, storytelling and food stalls.
Popular routes:
Advice for affordable train travel
There are plenty of ways you can save on fares when taking the train to 2026 Chinese New Year celebrations in the UK – you just have to know the right tricks. Read on to learn them!
Book in Advance
Advance Tickets usually go on sale about 12 weeks ahead of travel dates and can get you significant discounts on your train tickets. These cheaper tickets are usually released in limited quantities, so you’ve got to be quick!
Use Railcards
There are plenty of Railcards you may be eligible for that can help you save on train travel. For students, there’s the 16-25 Railcard, over-60s can benefit from the Senior Railcard, and there are even family and group travel options. Railcards can get you discounts of up to 1/3 when you apply your discount on Trip.com, so there are significant savings in store!
Split Ticketing
Split Tickets implement a clever strategy to save up to 90% on your train fares! By breaking down your journey into several segments and buying separate tickets for each leg, you can end up with a cheaper train ticket without having to leave the train. Platforms like Split My Fare or TrainSplit can help you identify where tickets can be split.
Avoid Peak Times
Travelling outside of peak hours can significantly reduce travel costs. Peak hours are usually midweek mornings (before 9:30 am) and evenings (4 pm to 7 pm).
GroupSave Discounts
Travelling in groups of 3–9? When you book together on Trip.com, you can get 1/3 off adult fares during off-peak hours.