LunarFest GTA, an annual celebration of Lunar New Year through arts and storytelling, is coming back to the Varley Art Gallery of Markham next month.

The festival runs Saturday, Feb. 21, and Sunday, Feb. 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the gallery on Main Street in Unionville. Admission is free and no registration is required.

Year of the Horse

This year's edition takes its theme from the Year of the Horse. In announcing the event, the gallery described horses charging forward even in a storm, guided by instinct and resilience, and said the festival takes that spirit as its starting point.

LunarFest initiates a call for courage: a challenge to each of us to move forward through life's turbulence with grace, conviction and openness.

— Varley Art Gallery of Markham

What is planned

The weekend will feature:

  • A new set of lunar lanterns

  • Free workshops

  • A film screening

Details on workshop topics and the film had not been posted when the festival was announced.

A Lunar New Year fixture in Markham

The festival falls the weekend after Lunar New Year, which is on Feb. 17 this year. Markham has one of the largest Chinese Canadian communities in the country, and the holiday is marked across the city each winter with markets, performances and family events.

Holding the festival at the Varley also brings the celebration to Main Street Unionville, the city's historic village core. The gallery opens two new winter exhibitions on Feb. 7, so LunarFest visitors can see those shows on the same trip.

If you go

  • What: LunarFest GTA

  • When: Saturday, Feb. 21, and Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Where: Varley Art Gallery of Markham, 216 Main St., Unionville

  • Cost: free, no registration required