Chinese New Year will be celebrated in Chester on Saturday 1st Feb. The Year of the Snake will be welcomed by performances of traditional music, lions and dragon dancing, non-combustible firecrackers and cultural characters.

The God of Prosperity, The Emperor of Heaven and The Happy Buddha will be in Chester city centre on the Saturday morning in an event delivered by the Wah Lei Chinese Association and supported by Bank of America and Cheshire West and Chester Council, along with other local businesses.

The event begins at 11am at Eastgate Street, then up Northgate Street to Town Hall Square. Maria Yuen from Ji Siu Tai Chi Chuan Group of Handbridge will kick off the celebrations. The Lions will be woken by representatives of Bank of America and the Cheshire West and Cheshire Council. The Hung Gar Kung Fu Academy with Steve Ornelas will lead the colourful Lions and Dragon dance and resume with another performance inside The Town Hall Assembly Room at 12 noon.

Tutors from Wah Lei Saturday Mandarin school based at the University of Chester and volunteers will deliver cultural workshops from 12.30pm to 2.30pm for the festival celebrations inside The Town Hall including calligraphy and a special guest, Tai Chi Panda.

A celebration banquet with the Lions will take place at Panda Mami Restaurant, Newgate Street from 1.15pm. Pre-booking your table now is highly recommended.

The Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, is the most important celebration in the Chinese zodiac calendar and follows a 12-year cycle. Chinese legend states that The Emperor of Heaven asked all the animals to meet him on New Year’s Day and named a year after each of the twelve animals that came.

The Wah Lei Chinese Association is also supported by Cheshire, Halton and Warrington Race Equality Centre, the University of Chester and Chester Voluntary Action.

 For more details visit the Wah Lei Chinese Association Face book page.

You can donate to support the Wah Lei Chinese Association who produce the Lunar New Year Festival at https://www.gofundme.com/f/chester-chinese-new-year-2025