LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80113 Family Reunion Celebration review

80113 Family Reunion Celebration calls back to one of the very first LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals sets, but turns everything up to 11 – to the point that it almost has too much good stuff. If that's possible...

LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80113 Family Reunion Celebration is the closest a set can get to being part of the Modular Building collection without actually having four walls. A highly detailed and inventive set, it works well both as a canvas for creative play, and as a piece to integrate into a sprawling LEGO city.

While 80113 Family Reunion Celebration could potentially have done with being slightly larger, there is a huge amount of content crammed into a tiny package. This is a must-have set for anyone longing to add a Chinese-inspired building to their collection.

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80113 Family Reunion Celebration set details ---

Theme: LEGO Spring Festival Set name: 80113 Family Reunion Celebration Release: January 1, 2024

Price: £89.99 / $129.99 / €99.99 Pieces: 1,823 Minifigures: 13

LEGO: Order now

--- Where to buy LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80113 Family Reunion Celebration ---

LEGO 80113 Family Reunion Celebration can be purchased directly from LEGO.com and official LEGO Stores. The Chinese Traditional Festivals sets are only available through official channels in the west, so you won't find them through third-party retailers.

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80113 Family Reunion Celebration build ---

Back at the dawn of the LEGO Group’s experimentation with Lunar New Year, there was a humble little set called 80101 Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner. This set is fairly barebones compared to Spring Festival sets that have come since, but it is notable for being one of the earliest sets to portray traditional Chinese architecture, aimed specifically at a Chinese market.

Alas, because the set was intended primarily for the Chinese market, it was never released outside the Asia-Pacific area. LEGO fans in the rest of the world were unable to get their hands on the set without paying an exorbitant markup. Thankfully, things have improved since then, and Lunar New Year sets now launch worldwide. The latest of these sets, 80113 Family Reunion Celebration, has returned to the idea at the heart of that original set: a family dinner in celebration of the coming New Year.

Where 80101 Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner is a fairly basic offering, though, 80113 Family Reunion Celebration takes the opportunity to expand into one of the most detailed sets at this price point. It is the largest Spring Festival set to date in terms of piece count, if not actual footprint. There are a lot of pieces crammed into this set, creating an unprecedented level of detail.

According to designer Niels Frederiksen, 80113 Family Reunion Celebration was intended to draw significant inspiration from the Modular Buildings Collection. Apparently there was even a version of this set, at one point of development, that was entirely closed at the back, similar to a modular building. This direction was ultimately abandoned in favour of making the set more accessible from a play perspective, but the modular influence is still keenly felt. Especially around the stairs, it’s possible to look at this set and trick yourself into thinking you’re looking at a modular building; the quality of the presentation is just that strong.

This set easily features the same level of detail, the same number of little vignettes and interesting features, as would be found in a typical modular. There are two floors to explore, along with a rooftop terrace, and each room is filled with little secrets to be discovered.

This means that the set is tremendous fun, but it does lead to its one big drawback: everything is a bit cramped. There’s not a lot of floorspace in a model of this size, and with all of the details, furniture and minifigures to squeeze in here, 80113 Family Reunion Celebration has the misfortune of feeling like the restaurant has recently downsized without parting with any of their old possessions. There’s barely a few studs spare in the entire building, and in the case of the front desk, it’s only possible to fit a minifigure in place because a removable wall has a built-in recess.

If this set were expanded just a little bit, it would feel significantly less claustrophobic. For all that the set is designed around play, the space inside the restaurant is not really large enough to facilitate any actual movement of minifigures. Anyone looking to play with the set is better off moving some of the furniture outside and abandoning the building altogether.

As far as complaints go, though, this is a trivial one. It’s hard to genuinely argue that a LEGO set should not be recommended because it has too much neat stuff inside. The fact that all of these details have been packed into a set at this size and price point is a miracle.

There is a temptation to treat 80113 Family Reunion Celebration as a Chinese New Year equivalent of a Christmas set – something like 10325 Alpine Lodge. In reality, though, this set has far less in common with the Winter Village Collection than it does with the Modular Buildings Collection. Think of this as a modular building lite. Or (and this may well be more appealing to many modular fans) buy two copies of the set and expand this set into a full-blown modular restaurant in its own right. There’s certainly enough in here to justify the conversion.

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80113 Family Reunion Celebration characters ---

The Lunar New Year sets up until this point have told a consistent story with recurring characters, and 80113 Family Reunion Celebration features the latest chapter of this narrative. The same family from the original 80101 Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner are back, having a meal together yet again, albeit in a restaurant rather than at home (perhaps Dad didn’t feel like cooking this year).

Also gone are the traditional red outfits from the earlier set. This time around, the family are dressed more casually, in clothes that, while highly detailed and well designed, are perhaps a little less culturally unique.

Joining this returning family are a pair of young lovers, wearing what could easily end up being the best minifigure torso design of 2024. At first glance, it appears that their matching jackets are emblazoned with the classic Space logo. Look closer, though, and they actually feature a Chinese dragon. It’s a wonderful reference both to the LEGO Group's past, and to Chinese culture.

There's also a tourist, complete with selfie stick, who unlike the rest of the minifigures in this set does not have straight black hair. There are some very heavy questions to be asked about why a minifigure with a more European hairpiece was necessary in a set of this nature, but beyond this, the most interesting facet of the minifigure is her face mole. It's always nice to see the LEGO Group providing greater diversity in sets, and facial skin differences like moles and birthmarks are still sorely lacking in the wider minifigure catalogue.

Restaurants need staff, and the final group of minifigures take on various service roles in the kitchen, on the restaurant floor, and at the front of house. While the chef’s outfit is fairly standard for minifigures in his profession, the other two wear matching white uniforms with a Chinese design, which looks delightful.

The final minifigure is a staple of these Lunar New Year sets: a character dressed up as the zodiac animal of the year. In this case, the large golden dragon headpiece is a real treat.

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80113 Family Reunion Celebration price ---

Considering that 80113 Family Reunion Celebration has the highest piece count of any Lunar New Year set thus far, as well as a whopping 13 minifigures, this set feels like a bit of a steal in some regions.

As the set costs £89.99 in the UK, $129.99 in the US and €99.99 in the EU, American LEGO fans are getting a bit of a raw deal, but even at this price it’s hardly a terrible price for the number of pieces in the box. This set isn’t quite as big and grand as a modular building, but with such a low price tag, it’s a wonderfully accessible way to get a slice of a similarly detailed design.

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80113 Family Reunion Celebration pictures ---

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80113 Family Reunion Celebration pros and cons ---

If the biggest gripe that can be thrown at a LEGO set is that there’s too much packed into it, then it’s a very good set indeed. 80113 Family Reunion Celebration attempts to straddle the line between a grown-up modular building and accessible playset, and while the density of elements within its walls may restrict some builders who want to use it for play, this is far more detailed and interesting than it ever needed to be.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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--- Alternatives to LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80113 Family Reunion Celebration ---

Those looking for a more detailed alternative to 80113 Family Reunion Celebration may wish to consider 10312 Jazz Club, which similarly features a restaurant but does so with a coveted fourth wall and far more space to breathe.

On the other side of the spectrum, anyone looking for a small play-oriented set may wish to consider 31131 Downtown Noodle Shop, although these sets are becoming hard to find following retirement.

--- LEGO Chinese Traditional Festivals 80113 Family Reunion Celebration FAQs ---