The City Renewal Authority is inviting Canberrans to celebrate the Lunar New Year (1 February) over three consecutive long weekends, kicking off on 27 January.
Announcing the celebration, Chief Minister, Andrew Barr said the Lunar New Year Festival would envelop Dickson’s Woolley Street in a COVID-safe kaleidoscope of colour, sound, tastes and aromas.
“The celebration to welcome the Year of the Water Tiger will include musical performances, dance and martial arts displays, workshops and a to-be-revealed SBS Television-sponsored element,” Mr Barr said.
“The outdoor festival will extend to Thursday 3 to Saturday 5 February and Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 February,” he said.
“Entertainment is scheduled between 6-8pm, plus a daytime component on Saturdays.”
Mr Barr said being able to celebrate Lunar New Year in this way was important for the community.
“Holding the celebration over multiple weekends as a distributed event rather than one big street festival maximises COVID-safety as well as benefits to local businesses and the community,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer of the City Renewal Authority, Malcolm Snow said the outdoor street festival would be a safe, fun and enjoyable way to support small businesses while celebrating Canberra’s cultural diversity.
Mr Snow said a stage and tables on the pedestrian elbow of Woolley Street, with dining-style seating in front of restaurants, would facilitate outdoor dining during the festival.
He said highlights of the program included music from ANU Chinese Classical Music Ensemble, Kim Yang, Ding Guili and Lucy Sugerman, and performances from Project Beats and Red Cedar Traditional Chinese Dance.
Further information on the Lunar New Year Festival can be accessed at this PS News link.
