Lunar New Year marks a time of joy, tradition, and celebration. From dazzling parades to mouth-watering feasts, Manchester is set to come alive with events that honour this vibrant cultural festival. Here’s everything you need to know to experience the magic of the 2025 festivities in Manchester!
Picture the rhythmic beat of drums, dazzling swirls of dragon and lion dances, and a sea of glowing red lanterns lighting up the winter sky. Lunar New Year isn’t just a celebration—it’s an explosion of culture, tradition, and joy.
This year, Lunar New Year falls on January 29, 2025, marking the start of the Year of the Wood Snake, an event that happens once every 60 years. The snake, one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, is often considered the most enigmatic. Known for wisdom and intuition, this year is expected to bring transformation and insight.
Manchester’s celebrations will centre around Chinatown and cultural landmarks like the Chinese Art Gallery. Expect traditional dragon and lion dances, glowing Chinese lanterns, and a feast of festive dishes like poon choy, a communal hotpot symbolizing unity and abundance.
For the older generation, Lunar New Year holds deep significance. Circle Steele, CEO of the Wai Yin Society—one of the UK’s largest Chinese community centres—explains how the festival combats isolation and homesickness for those without extended families.
She said: “We know a lot of the older generation are on their own.”
“They haven’t got any extended family. So not only do we say it’s about cultural heritage, but also about trying to reduce loneliness, isolation, or homesickness, and to promote their health and well-being. Social interaction is very important during these festivals; people feel support.”
Steele highlights Manchester’s multicultural environment as a key factor in fostering belonging.
“In the UK, in Manchester, it’s very multicultural. We celebrate a lot of different cultures, different celebrations. For us, in a sense, it’s about belonging. So we are not just on our own—we are connected with other communities. We all come together to celebrate, provide a sense of support, and share identity.”
For younger generations, often less fluent in Cantonese or Mandarin, Lunar New Year is a way to reconnect with their heritage. Steele stresses the importance of fostering cultural pride in a city like Manchester.
“If you look at younger people who grew up here, they may not speak much Chinese or Cantonese or Mandarin, because English probably is their first language. So, some highlights of the Chinese New Year celebration are about cultural power—to help the migrant express their identity confidently.”
Ultimately, Lunar New Year can be summed up in one word: togetherness. For Steele and many others, it’s a time to honour traditions, strengthen community ties, and celebrate unity amidst diversity. Whether through sharing meals, or simply coming together in celebration, the festival reminds us of shared joy, lighting the way into a new year full of hope and possibility.
All images taken by Harleen Uppal
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