Potato Spice Sampling at Artisan Avenue

The Lunar New Year of the Horse begins on February 17, and South Granville’s celebrations are returning for the entire month of February.

The Year of the Horse symbolises strength, energy, confidence, and forward movement - a fitting theme as the neighbourhood comes together to welcome a new year filled with momentum and connection.

In recent years, over 300 people have come out to celebrate, meet the lions up close, and spend time exploring and shopping on South Granville. What began with just six participating businesses has now grown to more than fifteen, becoming a much-loved neighbourhood moment to kick off the Lunar New Year together.

What’s Happening & How to Get Involved

🧧 South Granville Exclusive LNY Gift with Purchase program

Red envelopes (hong bao) are deeply rooted in Chinese culture, symbolizing luck, prosperity, and blessings for the new year, warding off evil spirits. Luxury brands are now gifting branded hongbao to elevate the traditional gift, turning it into a collector's item that reflects the recipient's status and connection to the brand.

This year, we invite you to surprise your customers with complimentary bespoke South Granville hong bao envelopes designed by local Asian-Canadian artist Nicole Larsen aka Ripple x Rise for purchases over $100 made in February - a simple, festive way to delight customers, show value for cultural traditions and encourage LNY spending.

The pre-packaged envelopes are free for you to gift to your clients, available while quantities last. Order yours for your business today below.

🐲 Host a Lion Dance at Your Business

The Bak-Mei Kung-Fu Club will perform vibrant lion dances throughout the neighbourhood, bringing blessings of prosperity and good fortune to participating businesses.

The lions will visit each host location for a traditional blessing dance.
Fees are $150 per performance, inclusive of fees and gratuity.
Limited spots available - these tend to fill quickly.

🏮 Lantern Installation at the Plaza

A glowing lantern installation will transform the plaza at Granville St × W 13th Ave, lighting up the pods and drawing visitors into the neighbourhood throughout February. This placemaking activation adds atmosphere, encourages wandering, and creates a strong visual moment for Lunar New Year in South Granville.

GET INVOLVED

BOOK A LION DANCE

Be one of 16 businesses to get blessed with success and prosperity for the year of the fire horse! Reserve your spot below, and we’ll schedule you in. We will confirm and let you know your position in the queue. Times are approximate.

Cost to participate: $150

Fee includes $100 contribution towards the performance (The SGBIA will subsidize the other 50% of the cost) and $50 traditional mandatory gratuity in a special edition South Granville red envelope. You will still need to prepare the offering for mounting or in a bowl.

Terms & Conditions

We will drop off the envelope incl. the money, before the event. You will still need to mount the offering and provide the lettuce. Information on how to prepare your lettuce for the Lion dancers will be provided upon booking. You must provide lettuce either hanging from a string in the doorway or on the ground in a bowl for the lions.

While we do our best to adhere to the schedule, the dedicated time slots for each stop are very much approximate, depending on congestion, the dancers, etc. Please allow for a generous amount of time before and after your slot for the lions to arrive.
By booking and paying for your spot, you agree to the conditions in the product details area.

First come first served. If you decide to book your spot, you are committing to being part of the activation. No refunds will be offered.

For the month of February, South Granville businesses are invited to participate in a complimentary gift with purchase program by the SGBIA. For purchases in February of over $100+, your customers may receive bespoke Lunar New Year Red Envelopes.

As supplies are limited, please only order as many as you’ll likely use.