Seven News sponsors Chinese New Year Festival
Seven News is a proud sponsor of the Chinese New Year Festival.
Melbourne’s Chinatown precinct will come alive with festivities, food, culture and fun in celebration of Chinese New Year.
The two-week festival, starting Monday, February 16 until March 1, will showcase the very best of Chinese tradition and will feature a variety of activities for people of all ages to come and enjoy, including famous street performers, hawkers markets, projections in laneways, free stage shows featuring traditional dancing and the infamous Dragon parade through the streets of Melbourne.
On Wednesday 18 February, the festival will kick off with its first major event, Chinatown Countdown.
Starting at 10.30pm, a DJ will set the scene for the evening as people fill the streets of Chinatown for the celebration.
A mix of music and street performers will build the atmosphere before the clock strikes midnight and the Lion dance commences to ward off evil spirits and bring in the Lunar New Year of the Goat.
Throughout the festival, some of Chinatown’s top restaurants will be serving special New Year’s dishes, allowing people to experience the traditional feast that comes with the celebration.
The festival also coincides with White Night (Saturday, February 21) with Chinatown hosting a series of free events.
Activities include the Hidden Dragon Outdoor Cinema, which will screen martial arts movies (family friendly movies early in the night, moving into action films later in the evening).
There will also be martial arts and lion dance demonstrations during intervals for the audience to enjoy.
White Night will also feature a Hawkers Market as well as a variety of top restaurants in the precinct opening their kitchens until 3am.
Visitors will also be able to make a wish by purchasing a lantern to hang on the Lantern Wishing Tree in Chinatown Square, Cohen Place. All funds raised from the purchase of the lanterns will be donated to Epworth Healthcare.
The emergence of Melbourne’s Millennium Dragon on Sunday, February 22, is unquestionably the highlight of the festival.
Over 50,000 people will fill the streets of Chinatown as it comes alive with a special cultural celebration.
There will be music, dancing, firecrackers, hawkers markets, free stage activities and a whole host of entertainment as the celebrations continue well into the night.
Don’t miss our Seven News Presenter Jennifer Keyte who will host the official proceedings on the main stage.
Another festival highlight is the Chinatown Feast on Friday, February 27. Enjoy traditional Chinese dishes in this long outdoor lunch in the streets of Chinatown.
Chinatown represents a long-standing immigrant community that has both endured and thrived within the City of Melbourne for 163 years, since the discovery of gold in Victoria, which saw 40,000 Chinese come to their fortune.
Its heritage streetscape is now the longest standing in the Western World with a rich history and cultural tapestry that makes Chinatown a unique and iconic Melbourne destination.
So come and join in the cultural journey and enjoy a mix of both traditional and contemporary celebrations this Chinese New Year.
For more information on the festival, visit the official website
