Dance of dragons, unicorns and lions, firecrackers and fireworks, martial arts demonstrations and all kinds of Chinese bites. It must be Chinese New Year! And in 2019, expect to see a lot of depictions of pigs, because the Chinese New Year that starts on February 5, 2019 is The Year of the Pig.
In 2019, cities and towns across the UK welcome the Year of the Pig between February 1 and 10, with both weekends being celebrated around the main date. Here is the summary:
- Birmingham Feb 5th, loads of free events at The Arcadian in Chinatown starting at 11:30. Chinese acrobats, singing, Chinese dragon dance, and martial arts. Hurst Street will be pedestrianized for the day. At least 30,000 people attended all the free events. Find more on visiting Birmingham. The Chinese community in Birmingham sponsors a festival that gets bigger and better every year, but details are slow to release, so you will need to check with Visit Birmingham and The Arcadian closer to the date.
- Chatham, Kent Small town but big party. There was a time when this was the third largest Chinese festival in the UK. In 2019, The Year of the Pig will be greeted with a parade. Details had yet to be announced at the time of this writing.
- Liverpool Did you know that the Liverpool Chinese Arch is the largest outside of China? As always, the arch, on Nelson Street, is where the oldest Chinese community in Europe celebrates. February 10 is the date in 2019 and there will be everything from a massive Tai Chi demonstration and a dragon and lion dance parade, to a Taste of China festival and a firecracker display. Please check the Chinese community website closer to the date of all events.
- London, Trafalgar Square Traditionally, London’s Chinatown Chinese Association celebrates the first Sunday after Chinese New Year. That’s February 10, 2019, the year of the pig. Events begin with a grand parade along the Strand, Charing Cross Road, and Shaftsbury Avenue, followed by the Trafalgar Square festivities. International performers, Chinese and Western opera, and a firecracker demonstration in Leicestser Square that promises to be deafening. Everything happens between 10 am and 6 pm Visit the Chinatown blog for the latest news.
- Manchester hosts the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations in the north with four days of festivities. In 2019, major Chinese New Year festivities including Dragon and Lion Dances, Kung Fu demonstrations, folk dance performances, fireworks and a spectacular Golden Dragon Parade will take place from February 7 to 10 in Chinatown, Albert Square and throughout the city center. Know more.
- Newcastle-Gateshead Newcastle turns the Chinese New Year into something splendid, with many events in the days and weeks leading up to the big day. Puppet and basket workshops, exhibitions and performances are part of the fun. But sadly, they take the time to announce the details and dates. Check back on city website closer to February for full details.
- Nottingham usually goes to the city for the Chinese New Year, where shows and fireworks are organized. Every year there is a full calendar of workshops and events leading up to the big day and a Chinese New Year Gala on February 9 and 10, presented by the Nottingham Confucius Institute (NCI) and Asia Business Travel Expect musicians, dancers, martial artists and singers from Chinese local and national communities. This is a ticketed event at Nottingham’s Djanogly Theater.
