What’s on: Chinese New Year

Celebrate Chinese New Year with us! Here is a summary of the events that we are organising and supporting this year.

Chinese New Year falls on Friday 16 February.  The night before this is the most important time for families to get together and eat a special meal, but the Chinese New Year period, called 春节 (Chūn​jié / Spring Festival) in Mandarin, lasts for just over three weeks in total. Preparations begin a week before Chinese New Year, and celebrations end on Lantern Festival - the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

These events in Leeds will give you plenty of opportunities to get into the Spring Festival spirit! Full listings can be found on our events page.

Shows

Our partners are putting on some wonderful cultural shows, suitable for the whole family. Leeds Chinese Community School welcome a talented traditional orchestra from China to perform at their Chinese New Year celebrations at Leeds Town Hall on Monday 5 February. Also taking place at this fantastic local venue on Wednesday 14 February is the annual Chinese New Year Gala organised by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association. Here at the University of Leeds there will be an intercultural variety show organised by students on Tuesday 13 February as part of the World Unite Festival – come along to celebrate the diversity of Leeds University while enjoying a range of performances telling the story of the Chinese legend ‘Journey to the West’.

Cultural events and workshops

Leeds City Museum will be celebrating the Chinese New Year of the Dog with crafts and activities inspired by the Chinese Zodiac from Tuesday 13 to Friday 16 February. We will be there on Tuesday 13 February with drop-in Chinese language and calligraphy activities aimed at young people aged over 11. Drop in between 10am-12pm and 1-3pm!

University students can enjoy our fun Lunar New Year themed quiz at the Global Café on Monday 12 February. We are also running a Dumpling Cooking Demonstration for students on Friday 16 February.

Business events

The annual Yorkshire and Humber Chinese New Year Business Dinner brings together businesses from around the region on Thursday 8 February to celebrate the successes of the previous year and mark the arrival of the Year of the Dog. This black tie business dinner, organised in cooperation with the Department for International Trade and China-Britain Business Council, is an opportunity for representatives of firms and organisations engaged with China to network and share their experiences. The After-Dinner speech will be given by Matthew Rous, Chief Executive of the China-Britain Business Council.

Tickets cost £60 (£72 including VAT) and are available to buy via the University of Leeds online store.

School events

As usual, we will also be supporting Chinese New Year events at local schools to help promote Chinese language and culture education in the community.

 

春节快乐！Chūn​jié kuài​lè! Happy Chinese New Year!

View full event listings on our website.

Get in touch if you would like to work with us to celebrate Chinese New Year at your organisation in 2019.