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Home : Travel : Family, Food & Good Fortune :

Family, Food and Good Fortune

Get spiritual with the Chinese New Year

The oldest and most important festival in the Chinese calendar provides a chance to celebrate life, and welcome in new, positive energy and good fortune. Spring clean the house, set off some firecrackers and celebrate with loved ones.

Or simply join in a colourful Chinese street party before sitting down to an authentic Eastern meal – mark the arrival of the Year of the Ox with one of the organised celebrations around the UK.

This Chinese New Year falls on 26 January and kicks off two weeks of celebrations so there's plenty going on. The date changes each year as it's based on the lunar calendar. The festival closes with Teng Chieh, the lantern festival, on the full moon around 15 days later.

Liverpool

The city boasts the largest Chinese arch outside China. It's here that people are due to get together on 25 January to welcome in the new year. The streets are set to become "a riot of colour and excitement" so soak up the atmosphere, sample Chinese food and drink and watch the entertainers.

Manchester

Chinatown will be transformed into an Oriental wonderland on 1 Feb, with dragon and lion dances, Kung Fu demonstrations, dancing, stalls and workshops plus fireworks and a parade.

Cardiff

Learn something new – try your hand at Chinese brushwork and calligraphy or even Chinese ribbon dancing, at St David's Hall on 24 January.

London

Discover the cultural significance of Chinese New Year with family-friendly fun at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, on 7 February.

The London Chinese Film Festival runs from 31 January to 19 February at venues across the capital.

And the London Chinese Cultural Centre organises Chinese film screenings and arts performances throughout the city.

More than 300,000 people took to the streets of the capital to celebrate Chinese New Year in 2008, and the party's expected to be even bigger this year. Visit Trafalgar Square on 1 February, for an afternoon of traditional and contemporary Chinese arts live on stage. There'll also be performance art on Shaftesbury Avenue, fireworks in Leicester Square, and lion displays in Chinatown.

Further information
London Chinatown Chinese Association
Chinatown London

Kent

The Medway celebrations are set to transform Chatham High Street with traditional Chinese dance, in Kent, on 24 January. Enter the Chinese costumer competition and have a go at Lion Dancing. At noon on 25 January, the Mayor of Medway will lead more than 200 people in a colourful procession featuring dragons, lions, Tai Chi dancers and more.

Glasgow

Scotland has a long established Chinese community and many of its people reside in Glasgow, so the city is a top place to see in the Chinese New Year. Explore Chinatown, around Charing Cross and Garnethill, before joining in the New Year party at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on 24 and 25 January. The event is in association with Ricefield Arts and Cultural Centre – the city's meeting point for Chinese designers, musicians and artists.

Edinburgh

Welcome the Year of the Ox with music, dance and animation at the National Museum of Scotland, Hawthornden Court; or visit the Confucius Institute for Scotland for dance, music, calligraphy and animation, plus the chance to try drumming. Both events are on 8 February.

Closer to home?

Chinese New Year celebrations are also planned in Coventry, Nottingham and Southampton.

And if you can't make it to one of those, but fancy some Far Eastern entertainment, why not book tickets to see the Chinese State Circus in London, in April.

Find out more about Chinese New Year and some top places to find Chinese food in the UK.

And if you're planning a trip to China in 2009, check out our great range of travel books. Buy online and enjoy 70% off selected books in our winter sale.

Check out our other inspirational ideas for days out and weekend breaks.

Wherever you're heading...

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