Lunar New Year 2020: Where to celebrate the Year of the Rat

This year, the Lunar New Year falls on Saturday, Jan. 25 and will be followed by 15 days of celebrations marking the transition from the Year of the Pig to the Year of the Rat. While this is a major family-oriented holiday for many Asian communities, all are welcome at the colorful parades, festive pageants and impressive fireworks displays that will take place in Hong Kong, Singapore, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York and many other cities. Hotels, restaurants, museums and other venues will be offering special packages and events as well to welcome travelers and "consumers who are increasingly embracing their own and others' multi-cultural backgrounds," said Joy Lu, assistant professor of marketing at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business.

Here's a sampling of celebrations to join. Many Chinatown neighborhoods throughout New York City will host Lunar New Year events, but two of the key celebrations are the Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival on Jan. 25 and the Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & Festival in Lower Manhattan on Feb. 9.

The Mandarin Oriental, New York is offering a Celebrate Chinese New Year package from Jan. 24 to Feb. 9 that includes daily breakfast for two, $50 dining or spa credit and other perks. Rates start at $745/night.

The hotel will host a complimentary traditional lion dance in the lobby at noon on Jan. 24, and a special cocktail called the Jade Rat ($24) will be on the menu throughout the month in the Aviary NYC bar. In San Francisco, which boasts the largest Chinatown outside of Asia, the Chinese New Year Parade dates back to the 1860s. This year's parade takes place Saturday, Feb.

8, with elaborate floats and costumes, lion dancers and a 288-foot-long Golden Dragon carried by a team of 180 people. The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, located near Chinatown, will offer a special Chinese Afternoon Tea ($98) on Sunday, Jan. 26,and a Lunar New Year tasting menu ($155 per person) on Jan. 31 and Feb.

1, 7 and 8. On Jan. 20, artists from Oakland's Dragon School will begin painting a dragon-inspired mural across multiple interior and exterior hotel walls.