Manchester is gearing up for the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations the city has ever seen as the Year of the Snake slithers away to be replaced by the Year of the Horse.
The festivities will kick off on January 30 as St Ann’s Square comes alive with Chinese food markets, pop-up bars and live entertainment.
The main event will then get underway in spectacular style on February 2, as a 175ft dragon swaggers its way from Albert Square to Chinatown.
To welcome the ‘Year of the Horse’ the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Arts is hosting a horse-themed installation and window display created by Manchester artist Lydia Meiying.
President of Federation of Chinese Associations of Manchester, Mr Stewart Yip said: “The year of the Horse, is the vivacious animal seen by the Chinese as great success and achievement.
“A lot of planning, preparation and efforts will be taken to make this year’s celebrations a week full of fun and excitement in Chinatown and across the city centre.
“The event will be a testament to the success of a multi-cultural society in which people of different cultural background work together and enrich each other to achieve unity and joyous celebration.”
Organisers are expecting the celebrations to draw more people than ever before to the city.
City centre chief Councillor Pat Karney said: “The Chinese Community has helped shape the very fabric of Manchester and are incredibly important to the heritage of the city, playing a large part in Manchester’s history, so it’s fitting that the city’s Chinese New Year celebrations are always a sight to behold.
“A huge number of people came into the city centre for last year’s event and the 2014 celebrations are set to even bigger and better.”
In the lead up to the celebrations retailers, theatres, restaurants and bars across the city will all be getting involved to promote the event.
Bonnie Yeung, spokesman for Manchester’s Chinatown Community Group, said: “The Sino- Mancunian Chinatown community is really pleased that our longstanding New Year celebrations are being championed across the city in 2014.
“A selection of Chinatown businesses will be hosting a red envelope giveaway for visitors from the January 20 until February 3.
“We hope it will encourage increasingly more visitors to the city and to Chinatown.”
Celebrations will come to a dramatic close with the traditional fireworks display.
For more information visit http://www.visitmanchester.com/chinesenewyear
Photo couresty of ClaireWilliamsPhotography, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
