The reunion dinner, the red envelopes, the lion dance. All of it on one screen.

Lunar New Year 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February 2027 and begins the Year of the Goat in the Chinese zodiac. The celebration traditionally runs for fifteen days, from the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve (Friday 5 February) to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day (Saturday 20 February). The same new year is celebrated as Tết in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea.

A Lunar New Year party photo wall is a live screen — a TV at home, a projector in the office or a community hall — that guests post photos and messages to by scanning a QR code with their phone. On QR Wall it needs no app and each post appears about a second after it is sent, so the dumpling table, the red envelopes and the lion dance end up on one screen — and family who couldn't travel home can post to it from wherever they are.

12 Lunar New Year party ideas, at home or at the office

Lunar New Year party ideas that work bring people to the table and give them something to do with their hands: folding dumplings, handing out red envelopes, a game, a wish for the year. These suit a family dinner of 10 or an office party of 150.

1. A dumpling-folding table

   Set out wrappers, two or three fillings and a bowl of water, and let guests fold their own. Plan on about ten dumplings per person, and steam or pan-fry them in batches as they're made. Dumplings shaped like old silver ingots are said to bring wealth.

2. Red envelopes with something real inside

   Hóngbāo, lì xì in Vietnam: a red envelope for each child, handed over with a New Year wish. At the office, fill them with a lucky-draw ticket, a chocolate coin or a small gift card. Avoid amounts with the number four, which sounds like the word for death in Chinese.

3. A reunion-style shared table

   A whole fish (the word for fish sounds like "surplus"), noodles for long life, nian gao (sticky rice cake) for a higher year, spring rolls, tangerines for good fortune. Put a card by each dish with what it means.

4. Dishes from every tradition

   At a mixed office or community party, ask guests to bring their family's New Year dish: bánh chưng or bánh tét from Vietnam, tteokguk (rice-cake soup) from Korea, dumplings, nian gao. It turns the table into the conversation.

5. Write the New Year wishes

   Set up a calligraphy table with red paper and brushes, or simpler cards, and have guests write a wish for the year — 新年快乐 (Happy New Year) or 恭喜发财 (wishing you prosperity) for those who know them. Post the results to the wall.

6. Book a lion dance

   For a large office or community party, a lion dance troupe brings drums, cymbals and good luck to open the event. Book early: troupes are busiest in the two weeks after New Year's Day.

7. Lantern-making for the kids

   Paper lanterns from red and gold card, for the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day. A good craft table for a family party, with lantern riddles on the side.

8. Yut nori and other New Year games

   The Korean stick-throwing board game yut nori is a Seollal classic and easy to teach; mahjong tables suit the adults. Run a small tournament with red-envelope prizes.

9. Zodiac trivia

   Which animal is your birth year? Ten questions on the twelve animals, the story of the Great Race and the Year of the Goat, played in table teams.

10. Wear red

    Ask guests to wear red, or traditional clothing — a qipao, an áo dài, a hanbok. The group photo takes care of itself.

11. A live photo wall on the screen

    Open a wall on the TV or the venue screen and let guests post from their phones: the dumplings, the envelopes, the lion dance from the front row. Family abroad post through the same link, and at the office Professional holds every post for approval before it appears.

12. Plan the office party for the right week

    Many colleagues will be travelling or with family on New Year's Eve and the first days of the year. An office celebration in the week after — before Lantern Festival on 20 February — reaches more people.

The dinner everyone travels home for — and not everyone can

The reunion dinner on New Year's Eve is the one meal families travel furthest to share. It is also the night the absence is felt most: the cousin who couldn't get a ticket, the grandparents who stayed in another country, the student abroad.

A wall is a link, so the people who can't be at the table can still post to it — a photo of their own dinner, a wish for the year — and it appears on the screen in the room where the family is gathered. The next morning, every photo from every household is in one gallery.

Live wall, group chat or shared album

Where Lunar New Year photos usually end up.

Lunar New Year party questions

Dates, ideas and what hosts ask before putting a live screen up.

When is Lunar New Year 2027?

Lunar New Year 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February 2027 and begins the Year of the Goat. New Year's Eve, with the reunion dinner, is Friday 5 February, and the Lantern Festival that closes the fifteen-day celebration is Saturday 20 February 2027.

What are good Lunar New Year party ideas?

Good Lunar New Year party ideas include a dumpling-folding table, red envelopes for the children (or lucky-draw tickets at the office), a shared table with a whole fish, noodles, nian gao and tangerines, a potluck of New Year dishes from Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean traditions, a wish-writing table, a lion dance for a large event, lantern-making for kids, yut nori or zodiac trivia, and asking guests to wear red. A live photo wall lets family overseas post to the same screen.

Should I say Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year?

Both are used. Chinese New Year refers to the Chinese celebration; Lunar New Year also includes Tết in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea, which fall in the same season. For an office or community party with guests from several backgrounds, Lunar New Year is the inclusive choice.

When should a company hold a Lunar New Year party?

Many colleagues spend New Year's Eve and the first days of the year with family, so an office celebration in the week after New Year's Day works best — in 2027, between Monday 8 and Friday 19 February, before the Lantern Festival.

How do I set up a photo wall for a Lunar New Year party?

Create a wall at qrwall.live and open the display link on a TV or projector. Guests scan the QR code on the screen with their phone camera — no app — and their photos and messages appear in about a second. For an office or community event, Professional adds an approval queue so nothing appears until you approve it.