Chinese New Year 2023

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Liverpool’s Chinatown is set to be a festival of colour and sound this month as it welcomes the Year of the Rabbit.

Taking place on Sunday 22 January, the FREE celebrations of Europe’s oldest Chinese community will include the traditional dragon, lion and unicorn parades, firecracker displays, family workshops, Tai Chi demonstrations, live music performances, a fairground as well as food and craft stalls.

Culture Liverpool has also commissioned a number of new cultural pieces which are all free and either take place in the run up to the Sunday, and on the day itself to complement the traditional celebrations, or just after. These include:

A stunning fire-finale, courtesy of Liverpool-based Bring The Fire, will see shaolin warriors perform fiery martial arts, beautiful dance pieces and kinetic fire sculpture that will create a mesmerising theatre of moving flames.

A projection show will light up the Bombed-Out Church (St Luke’s) from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 January, 5-9pm each evening. Created by Focal Studios, in partnership with artists Eleonora Asparuhova and Laura Sullivan, a six-minute show called The Lunar Rabbit will reflect the qualities of the rabbit’s personality, projected on the tower inside the grounds.

Pagoda Arts, in collaboration with LIMF Academy artists and musician Jah Wobble, will deliver a programme of music masterclasses, which will result in a co-commission called Pearl River to the Mersey River. The instrumental fusion of Chinese and western music will be performed at both the Chinese New Year event on Sunday 22 January and at the Royal Philharmonic Music Room on Friday 27 January.

Focusing on the resilience and strength of the Chinese community post-Covid, Silk will see interactive dance pop-ups take place along Berry Street, Bold Street and Great George Street on Sunday 22 January as well as a stage performance at St George Square. It has been co-funded by Movema and Jockey Club England.  

Three specially designed Chinese New Year rabbit lanterns, standing 1.5 metres high, will take pride of place near the Chinese Arch, created by local artist Becky Bryson.

In Conversation events and workshops, including lantern making sessions, will take place in FACT on Thursday 26 January. They will be led by artist-in-residence April Lin.

Activity will take place from 11am to 5pm on 22 January in and around the Great George Square area, and all the information about what to expect can be found on the official  Chinese New Year website.

From next week (week commencing 9 January), thousands of Chinese lanterns will adorn the city centre streets around Chinatown and Liverpool ONE, and from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 January, a number of buildings will be illuminated in red in honour of the new year – signifying good fortune and joy to everyone. These buildings include Sefton Park Palm House, Cunard Building, Royal Liver Building, Liverpool Town Hall and St George’s Hall.

Keep up with the latest news by following Culture Liverpool on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the conversation on socials with #CNYLiverpool.

The event has been organised by Liverpool City Council’s Culture Liverpool team in partnership with the Liverpool Chinese Business Association.

1am – 5pm     Great George Square

12pm – 12.15pm       DJ Yeti

12.15pm – 1pm         Pagoda Arts – Flower Drums, Fan Tai Chi, Dance and Happy Dance!

1pm – 1.40pm            Firecracker Display – Lucky Man, Dragon and Unicorn Parades

1.40pm – 1.50pm        Liverpool Hung Gar Kung Fu Friendship Association – Martial Arts Demonstration

1.50pm – 1.55pm        DJ Yeti

1.55pm – 2.15pm        Wah Sing Chinese Community Centre Dancers – Traditional Chinese Dance and Song

                                   Bless You – Chinese Dance Performance

                                   Draw You – Chinese Dance Performance

                                   Beautiful Taihu – Chinese Dance Performance

                                   Happy Every Year song – Singing Performance

2.15pm – 2.20pm       Friendship Dancers Moonlight Waltz

2.20pm – 2.45pm        Tian and LIMF Academy (in association with Pagoda Arts)

2.50pm – 2.55pm        Wirral Chinese Cultural Association: Classical Dance – Dream in Flowers

2.55pm – 3pm             North East Wales Chinese Women’s Association – Traditional Chinese Dance

3pm – 3.10pm             Movema Dance – Silk

3.15pm – 3.20pm        UK Phoenix Qipao Chinese Cultural and Art Association – The Big Fan Dance ‘WanJiang’ and           

                                    The Silk Scarf QiPao show ‘The Picture Scroll of Love’

3.25pm – 3.30pm        Friendship Dancers – Beautiful River (Chinese Line Dance)

3.45pm – 4.10pm        Tian & LIMF Academy (in association with Pagoda Arts)

4.15pm – 4.25pm        Movema Dance – Silk

4.30pm – 4.55pm        Bring the Fire Project

5.05pm                        Event ends

 

All times subject to change. Please check website and social media for any changes.