Lion dances, lucky cats and the year of the fire horse

Health, longevity, fortune and success were the blessings endowed on witnesses of a thousand-year-old dance at a city market.

Lanterns hung overhead as a lion dance commemorated the Lunar New Year at Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market.

The performers, two to a lion, leapt towards the cameras of bystanders to the uneven clang of drummers.

"It's believed to spread joy and positive blessings to all," dance leader Andrew Caihoang told AAP.

"That's why it's so popular and heavily celebrated."

The celebrations marked the end of the year of the snake and the start of the year of the fire horse, a unique pairing in the 60-year lunar cycle.

Watching the high-energy performance, it wasn't obvious the dancers - volunteers from the nearby Quang Minh Buddhist Temple - had been at it for weeks.

"I've nearly lost my voice," Mr Caihoang said, adding the group had performed every weekend since January.

"We're tired, but it's a privilege to be in a multicultural country and to share our culture and traditions."

The show proceeded from String Bean Alley before weaving through the Meat and Fish Hall, affording its vendors front-row seats.

They did not appear to be bothered by the disruption, least of all a fishmonger who emptied the till and threw cash the way of the lions.

But not all vendors were impressed, including fruit and vegetable dealer Wing Chinn.

"Apart from the lion dance and those lanterns there wasn't much to see," the 50-year Queen Victoria Market stallholder told AAP.

Asked what he would like to see next year, he said: "Much more, and some customers, too."

Said to bring courage and vitality, this year's symbol is of special significance for Mr Chinn, whose original last name "Ma" translates to horse.

As the lion dance came to a close, some revellers made their way to the nearby narrm ngarrgu library to enjoy a performance by the five-piece Chao Feng Chinese Orchestra.

A new year folk song opened the show, before a reimagined version of Australian country classic "Click Go the Shears" brought it to a close.

"Music always plays a big role in celebrating the Lunar New Year," the bandleader told the crowd.