The Lunar New Year arrives on Saturday, February 6, 2027 — the start of the Year of the Fire Goat in the Chinese zodiac. For Sacramento, that means lion dances, traditional foods, community festivals, and one of the most distinctive Gold Rush-era parades still running in California. Here’s what the 2027 celebration calendar looks like in the region.
Year of the Fire Goat
The Goat — also called the Ram or Sheep depending on the translation — is the eighth animal in the twelve-year Chinese zodiac cycle. The 2027 Lunar New Year falls under the Fire element, beginning on the evening of February 5 (New Year’s Eve) and anchoring the main celebration on February 6. Traditional observances extend through the Lantern Festival on February 20, 2027, making the full celebration window about two weeks.
Sacramento’s Annual Lunar New Year Events
Sacramento’s Chinese-American community traces to the 1850s Gold Rush, when Chinese workers arrived throughout the valley and foothills. The region has marked Lunar New Year continuously for generations. Several events have established regular followings in the Sacramento area — specific 2027 dates will post closer to the season, but here’s what to watch for.
CNYCA Community Celebrations
The Chinese New Year Celebration Association of Sacramento (CNYCA) organizes annual lion dances, cultural performances, and community events typically held in the weeks surrounding the new year. The 2027 schedule and programming will post at cnyca.org in December or January — check there for confirmed locations and dates.
Elk Grove Tết Festival
The annual Elk Grove Tết Festival is one of the larger Lunar New Year community gatherings in the Sacramento region. Vietnamese Tết and Chinese New Year mark the same lunisolar new year — in 2027, both fall on February 6. The festival runs over a weekend in Elk Grove each late January or early February and includes traditional foods, cultural performances, music, and community vendors. For 2027 dates, check the festival’s official site once the schedule posts.
Lunar New Year Run at Sutter’s Landing
An annual 5K and 10K run is held at Sutter’s Landing Regional Park along the American River, typically in late January or early February to coincide with the new year. For 2027 registration and timing, check the race organizer’s site once it opens for registration.
Shen Yun at SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center
Shen Yun Performing Arts brings its annual tour to SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center in Sacramento each January or February. The production presents classical Chinese dance and live orchestra music drawing from Chinese civilization history. Sacramento performances routinely sell out weeks in advance. The 2027 Sacramento dates and tickets post at shenyun.com — the tour schedule typically appears in fall of the prior year, so check back in October or November 2026.
Marysville Bok Kai Parade — 60 Miles North
One of the most historically significant Chinese-American celebrations in the country takes place not in Sacramento but in Marysville, about 60 miles north on Highway 70. The Bok Kai Parade honors Bok Eye, the water god, at the Bok Kai Temple on the Yuba River waterfront — a site that has been central to Marysville’s Chinese-American community since the Gold Rush era. The 2026 parade was the 146th annual event; organizers describe it as the longest-continuously-operating Chinese-American celebration in the United States.
Unlike Sacramento’s new year celebrations, the Bok Kai Parade is held in March, tied to the second day of the second lunar month. The 2026 parade ran the weekend of March 20–22, with the main parade on Saturday at 11 a.m. and the traditional Bomb Day closing the festival on Sunday. The 2027 (147th annual) date will post at bokkaitemple.com. The temple adjacent to the parade route contains historical artifacts from Marysville’s nineteenth-century Chinese community and is open to visitors year-round.
For the drive up and other Northern California winter destinations worth combining with a Marysville trip, the Sacramento area winter activities guide covers Sierra Nevada snow play and sledding spots that are on the same northbound corridor.
Planning Around February 6
Sacramento’s major Lunar New Year events cluster in the two to three weeks around February 6, with Marysville following in March. Shen Yun tickets are the event that requires the most forward planning — the Sacramento engagement typically runs for only a few performances and sells out early. CNYCA and Elk Grove events are more accessible day-of, though popular food vendors and parking fill up quickly at peak hours.
If you’re combining a Lunar New Year visit with a weekend trip, February is also the heart of ski season in the Sierra Nevada. The guide to ski resorts near Sacramento covers the main options within 90 minutes of downtown. For the established Sacramento Lunar New Year events by format and venue, see the Sacramento Chinese New Year events guide.
The Details
- Lunar New Year date: Saturday, February 6, 2027 (Year of the Fire Goat)
- Chinese New Year’s Eve: Friday, February 5, 2027
- Lantern Festival: Saturday, February 20, 2027
- CNYCA Sacramento events: cnyca.org — 2027 schedule posts December/January
- Elk Grove Tết Festival: Official site for 2027 dates (late January/early February)
- Shen Yun Sacramento: shenyun.com — book as soon as tour dates post; sells out
- Bok Kai Parade (Marysville, 60 miles north): bokkaitemple.com — 147th annual, expected mid-to-late March 2027
Bottom Line
Lunar New Year 2027 anchors to February 6 in Sacramento, with celebrations running through February 20. Shen Yun is the one event that sells out early — check for Sacramento dates at shenyun.com as soon as the fall tour schedule posts. For the broader two-week window, CNYCA and the Elk Grove Tết Festival are where most of the community events and food will be. And if you’ve never made the drive to Marysville for Bok Kai in March, the 147th annual parade in 2027 is a good year to put it on the calendar.
