Manchester's Chinatown will be transformed into a festive wonderland with a weekend of celebration marking the Lunar New Year. The event includes a dazzling dragon parade, food markets, live music, and acrobatic performances.
Next week, Chinese New Year celebrations will kick off to mark the annual festive occasion. This year, it falls on a Wednesday (January 29), but many will celebrate throughout the week and into the weekend. As many visitors will have already noticed, Manchester 's city center streets have been adorned with thousands of red lanterns to mark the special occasion. And on February 1 and 2, Manchester ’s Chinatown will host a weekend of festivities including the much-loved dragon parade .
The city center district will be transformed into a festive wonderland with red lanterns, music, performances and family-friendly activities throughout the two days to celebrate the official start of the Year of the Snake. The event is also known as Spring Festival and as Lunar New Year to other Far Eastern countries.Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival and has been celebrated in China for thousands of years, with different types of activities across the different regions of China. Traditionally, the New Year celebrations are centred around removing the bad and the old, and welcoming the new and the good. Also celebrated by Chinese communities outside of China, events and celebrations such as lion dances, dragon dances and flower markets are just some of the many ways it is marked. As part of the weekend celebrations in Manchester, there will be a huge procession featuring a stunning traditional dragon alongside acrobatic performances, dancers and drummers. Also in Chinatown there will be a food market featuring snacks, street food and meals from local vendors, plus live music and a acrobatic troupe performance. Below you will find all the timings and event information for the Chinese New Year Dragon Parade. There is all a list of all the events and activities taking place across Greater Manchester to celebrate.The Dragon Parade, city centre One of the most popular events marking Chinese New Year in Manchester is always the dragon parade - a huge procession featuring a stunning traditional dragon alongside acrobatic performances, dancers and drummers. Dragons are a symbol of good luck, health and strength in Chinese culture, and the reason why dragon dances are performed at the start of the New Year is because they are believed to chase away evil spirits and welcome in prosperous times. On the weekend of the 1st and 2nd February, the legendary Dragon Parade will return. Starting on the junction of Oxford Street and George Street at 12pm on Sunday, February 2, the parade will make its way along Portland Street before concluding in Chinatown for a final performance on Princess Street. There will also be a night dragon parade in the Chinatown car park at 6.30pm and 7.30pm on the Saturday February 1), whilst an illuminated dragon will feature through the streets of Chinatown as part of the celebration’s conclusion from 6.30pm on February 2. Chinatown events Throughout the weekend, there will be a food market featuring snacks, street food and meals from local vendors. There will also be DJs playing Cantonese and Mandarin pop songs on Saturday night, from 8pm, whilst the Guizhou Acrobatic Troupe will be on hand to deliver stunning performances on the Sunday (2.45pm and 3.45pm). The event is free to attend and open to the public - but attendees are encouraged to arrive early for the dragon parade in order to secure the best views. Lunar New Year celebration, Manchester Museum Manchester Museum is inviting visitors to enjoy an evening of music, dance and friendship as part of the celebrations for the Year of the Snake. The Lunar New Year celebrations are open to all, providing a chance for those attending to be immersed in the colour and vibrancy of the joyous celebration, which is not only enjoyed in China but across Asia, in countries such as South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia. To reflect the diversity of this colourful celebration, the festivities will feature a range of performances, from a lion dance, traditional Chinese dance and choirs to K-pop, C-pop and more. There will also be an acrobatics display, try-on costume sessions and activities for everyone to get stuck into, plus Malaysian and Taiwanese food, should you get peckish, plus boba tea. Full details can be found here. The event takes place on Wednesday, 22 January from 4:30pm at Manchester Museum. Happy Hour Lunar New Year Gathering at Kargo Mkt, Salford Quays New Year is all about coming together, celebrating with friends, and sharing good times, and on Friday, January 31, from 7pm food hall Kargo Mkt will be celebrating the traditions of the Lunar New Year and flavours of Hong Kong. Guest are invited to participate in fai chun writing, a cherished Hong Kong tradition, where you can write down your wishes for the new year on bright red paper, symbolizing luck and prosperit
Chinese New Year Dragon Parade Manchester Chinatown Lunar New Year Food Market Live Music Festival
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