Chinese New Year London 2012

Year of the Dragon

CHINESE NEW YEAR LONDON - 23 January 2012

The main festival takes place on 29 January 2012 in Trafalgar Square with colorful stalls, dragon and lion dances and traditional and contemporary music. The event is FREE for all who wish to attend.

Be sure to wrap up warm and be in Trafalgar Square for the opening ceremony at 12 noon and in Leicester Square at the end of the day for fireworks.

This annual event takes place in Chinatown in Soho, Leicester Square, Charing Cross Road and Trafalgar Square and is organised by the London Chinatown Chinese Association. Last year 300,000 people attended the celebrations which are the largest outside Asia.

Chinese New Year London - New Year Parade

After an official opening ceremony at 12 noon in Trafalgar Square there will be Chinese dragons, traditional and contemporary music, dance and martial arts.

Leicester Square will hold displays of fireworks and firecrackers and in Chinatown and the surrounding streets, stalls will be overflowing with food. A one-way system for pedestrians will be in place with access into Chinatown via Shaftesbury Avenue. For more information click here.

Traditional Celebrations for the 15 days of the Chinese New Year:

The Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later.

Traditionally a vegetarian meal is served on the first day of the new year but this is not always the case. Red is also a very popular color as it brings luck to all who wear it.

The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival and is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

At midnight on New Year's Eve the old year is sent out and the new year welcomed in with fireworks. On the stroke of midnight every door and window in the house has to be opened to allow the old year to go out.

The New Year parade starts from Chinatown and there are performers and dancers who dance the Lion Dance which brings good luck to all it passes. The dance is accompanied by gongs and cymbals which are used to scare away evil and bad luck.