Auckland's Chinese Lantern Festival will not be held at Albert Park this year for the first time since it began 16 years ago.

An Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development spokesman said the decision to move the event was made with co-organisers Asia New Zealand Foundation "given the festival's size and growth year on year."

"Our preferred location is the Auckland Domain, although we are awaiting final planning consents, which we expect by the middle of this month," the spokesman said.

The festival's five-year resource consent for Albert Park expired after last year's event.

Lantern festivals, usually held on the 15th day of the lunar calendar, have been part of Chinese New Year celebrations since the Han Dynasty (206BC-221AD).

The first festival in Auckland was held in 2000, pieced together from second-hand lanterns from Singapore's Jurong Gardens.

Now enough lanterns to fill 20 shipping containers are displayed every year.

In recent years, attendance has reached about 200,000 people and the festival has become one of the city's biggest cultural events.

"The Albert Park site is a victim of the Lantern Festival's success and has become rather congested," said Chinese community leader Arthur Loo, past chairman of the Auckland Chinese Community Centre.

"Moving to the Domain will open it up and enable the event to accommodate more people, but I don't know how it will feel in an open field situation."

Mr Loo said the trees available at Albert Park to hang lanterns from gave it a "natural feel" and the "crush of people" made it seem like being in Asia.

The proximity to the CBD also gave it "a cosmopolitan feel".

"Events have to evolve ... the Domain will probably improve on access issues and parking and transport might be less of a problem if people use trains and buses," Mr Loo said. "Let's give it a go and see how it pans out."

NZ Chinese Language Week Trust co-chairman Raymond Huo said moving the event was a good idea.

"It is a reality -- as it grows bigger it is sensible to move to a bigger venue," the former Labour MP said.

The Lantern Festival will be held from February 18 to 21 to help usher in the Year of the Monkey.

International acts scheduled to perform include a magician and strongman act from Guangzhou Acrobatic Arts Theatre, puppeteers from Shanghai Puppet Theatre, the Guangdong Philharmonic Choir and Chinese rock band Second Hand Rose.