Chinese New Year in London

2008 is the Year of the Rat in the Chinese calendar and this Sunday 10 February London’s Chinese community will be celebrating their New Year with a parade and festival in central London.

The events are organized by the London Chinatown Chinese Association and begin with a two hour parade that features hundreds on dragon and lion dancers and performers, starting on the Strand then heading up Charing Cross Road before turning west on Shaftesbury Avenue and finishing at Rupert street on the north side of Chinatown.

The official opening ceremony takes place at 12pm in Trafalgar Square where there’s a main stage which will feature traditional and contemporary Chinese music, dance and martial arts until 6.30pm. A few blocks north Leicester Square will have fireworks and firecracker displays on the hour from 2pm-6pm and not far from there the streets in and around Chinatown will decorated for the New Year and will have stalls selling food and other Chinese related items. All events on the day are free to attend.