1. London, UK
Sophie Campbell, London expert
By all means flock to Trafalgar Square, the kick-off point for London’s Chinese New Year celebrations at 10am on Sunday February 22, but for me the magic is always in the side streets south of Shaftesbury Avenue. Here the flat-fronted brick houses contain restaurants, food shops, souvenir emporia and the harsh smells of five-spice and rosewood. Get to Gerrard Street around noon and you will hear the Lion Dance leaping and roaring its way along the streets, shaking its tasselled head from side to side, ready to celebrate the new but only - this is Chinatown, after all - in return for a ‘red packet’ of money. These hang on long strings from the upper windows, weighed down by a lettuce or cabbage (choi) easily grabbed by a lion. The ritual is called Choi Ching, or ‘plucking green vegetables', because choi sounds like the word for ‘fortune’ in Chinese. The higher the packet, the bigger the sum, so they say: no decent lion would dream of revealing any details.
2. New York, US
Soo Kim, former New York resident
The Big Apple has at least nine Chinatowns across the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. Manahattan is said to have the highest concentration of Chinese residents in the Western Hemisphere, with a total population of nearly 100,000, while the Flushing area of Queens, whose Arthur Ashe Stadium hosts the annual US Open Tennis Championships, has one of the largest and fastest growing communities outside Asia. Highlights of Chinese New Year celebrations include the Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival on February 19, with fireworks set to take off at noon. The annual Chinatown Lunar New Year parade and festival, featuring a festivity of food and street performances, takes place on February 22 in Manhattan from 1pm, running from Canal Street to Chatham Square, down East Broadway and ending at Sara D Roosevelt Park.
3. Boston, US
Kathy Arnold, Boston expert
Boston is home to the third largest Chinatown in the US and one of America’s first Chinese restaurants, Hong Far Low, which opened near the Chinatown subway stop in 1879. Now there must be 200 places to eat between the station and the paifang, the traditional Chinese gate, on Chinatown Park. Many have aquarium-like tanks, full of New England lobster and fish waiting to be scooped up and cooked to order. Peach Farm (4 Tyler Street) is a small basement restaurant that is popular for weekend brunches – and for clubbers and chefs, who can eat until closing time at 3am. But to get to grips with the differences between Szechuan, Taiwan, Cantonese and even Chinese-American cooking, join Jim Becker, a chef who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin. On his Boston Chinatown Market tours, you do the munching, he does the talking (3.5 hours; $69/£45, including dim sum lunch; bostonfoodtours.com).
4. Toronto, Canada
Paul Wade, Toronto expert
Toronto has not one, but half a dozen Chinatowns. To get the most out of the 15-day Chinese New Year festivities, join up with Shirley Lum, an authoritative, yet always entertaining, culinary historian. Her regular foodie tours of the Old Chinatown at Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street include visits to a Chinese grocery store, bakery and BBQ shops. For Chinese New Year, she adds essential traditions. So the Year of the Ram kicks off with a 12-course Cantonese-style feast. While you eat, Shirley explains the symbolism behind each dish and then creates an artisan chocolate dessert. The next day, after watching the Lion Dances and eating New Year dim sum, you have your horoscope read; for the Lantern Festival, you pick up lanterns from a specialist shop to take home (from C$50/£27, including food and drinks. A Taste of the World; 001 416 923 6813; torontowalksbikes.com).
5. Vancouver, Canada
Kathy Arnold, Vancouver expert
The smell of burning incense, the sound of bamboo flutes, a lion dance to scare away evil spirits: it must be New Year in Vancouver’s Chinatown. The Chinese community here is as old as the city itself – and is also the third largest in North America. But the old and new rub shoulders: check out the trendy Keefer Bar (cocktails) and the Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie (modern, regional cuisine). Then head for the traditional Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden (vancouverchinesegarden.com), where everything, from the plants to the pebbles, has a meaning. Normally, this is a calming zen-like oasis, but New Year brings all the fun of a Temple Fair. On February 22, go for the noisemakers, the games, the music and performances by shadow puppets from Beijing. Best of all, entrance on the day is free!
6. Bangkok, Thailand
Tom Vater, Bangkok expert
The Thai capital’s sprawling Chinatown dates back to the 1780s. A giant ceremonial gate welcomes visitors on Yaowarat Road, the district’s main traffic artery, which is lined with traditional pharmacies, busy gold shops, and shark fin and bird nest soup restaurants. Young men roast chestnuts in giant woks on the pavement. At night, huge neon signs light up countless stalls that serve a cornucopia of dishes. Incredibly narrow Sampeng Lane, once the area’s main thoroughfare, now serves as a market selling household items. This long and crowded alley with its surrounding Taoist shrines, offers fascinating glimpses into daily life. Nearby Wat Traimit houses the world’s largest solid gold Buddha. The best panoramic views of Chinatown can be enjoyed from the revolving Sky View 360 Restaurant at the Grand China Princess Hotel. The dragon parades during Chinese New Year, complete with boisterously loud drums and millions of firecrackers, are not to be missed.
7. Paris, France
Natasha Edwards, Paris expert
Paris actually has three Chinatowns but by far the largest and most characterful is on and around avenue d'Ivry and avenue de Choisy in the 13th arrondissement. Here, largely by a coincidence of timing, the 1960s and 1970s tower block architecture gives the district a distinct resemblance to Hong Kong. You'll find a Buddhist temple hidden inside the entrance to an underground car park on rue de Disque, and the gigantic Tang Frères and Paris Store supermarkets, where you can buy everything from strange vegetables and kitsch sweets to the pots and plastic flowers necessary for opening your own restaurant. There are countless Vietnamese phô soup canteens, pâtisseries and gorgeously plasticky Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian restaurants – often combinations of all four, reflecting France's colonial past.
A Chinese dragon and lion parade to welcome in the Year of the Goat takes place on Sunday afternoon, February 22.
8. Singapore
Evelyn Chen, Singapore expert
This year of the goat, the lion city’s Chinatown neighbourhood springs to life with themed decorations and festive lightings aplenty. From January 30 to February 18, selected streets – Pagoda Street, Smith Street, Sago Street, Temple Street and Trengganu Street – will be closed so that foot traffic may partake in the annual festive street bazaar (6pm to 10.30pm) where stalls will hawk every goods imaginable, from decorative items, potted plants and clothing to edible fare like waxed duck, preserved fruits and cookies. If there’s one event you should not miss, it’s the Countdown Party (from 9.30pm to 12.30am, February 18) at New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street, which will culminate in fireworks. If the crowd gets too heavy, which it will, take a break at nearby Keong Saik Street where bars (Potato Head Folk) and hip restaurants (Esquina and Burnt Ends) await.
9. Manchester, UK
Cathy Toogood, Manchester expert
Manchester’s dragon parade takes me back to my childhood, standing on my tiptoes trying to catch a glimpse of the colourful creature through the crowd, followed by some of my first tastes of Chinese food in a Manchester institution, Yang Sing. This year the parade starts at 1pm on Sunday, February 22 in Albert Square (outside the imposing Town Hall). Arrive at midday to watch dance and martial art performances until the 175-foot dragon appears at 12.30pm. Then refuel and warm up in the still thriving Yang Sing, where a special Chinese New Year lunch menu is on offer for £38pp (as well as the normal menu). Book in advance if you want to guarantee a spot.
10. Los Angeles, US
Lucie Young, Los Angeles expert
North Broadway is the main artery in Los Angeles's Chinatown and within 10 minutes you can walk from the heart of the old world into the hippest of the new. Start at Central Plaza (No 947), built in the 1930s with its cute walkways and tiny shops . Walk south on North Broadway and en route stop at Wonder Bakery (No 943) for delicacies like lotus seed moon cake and red bean balls. Make a detour to groovy dive bar Hop Louie, located inside a pagoda. It is at No 950 Mei Ling Way (a minute down Gin Ling Way, past beautiful housewares store Realm at 425 Gin Ling Way). Check out the bazaars on either side of North Broadway owned by Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian immigrants. And visit Tin Bo (No 841), an extraordinary Chinese herbalist and acupuncture shop. Your end point is the hip and affordably priced Asian fusion restaurant, Chego, by top Los Angeles chef Roy Choi (No 727). On your return, come back up North Hill Street parallel to North Broadway for more gems.
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