Did you know that 140 countries celebrate CNY? I have selected 3 locations and created this special series to show you how they enjoy the Lunar New Year!
Sydney, one of the biggest cities in Australia, has had an annual Chinese New Year Festival for more than 20 years. It all started back in 1995 when the festival was just a modest community street market. It later grew to be one of the biggest Lunar New Year celebrations outside of Asia.
Now, Sydney has a 16-day program that goes from February 6th to February 21st with performances, tours, exhibitions, installations, shows, and special offers from restaurants around the city. The streets are also invaded by 12 colorful lanterns that are shaped into animals to represent the zodiac signs.
While you walk around looking for the lanterns – or if you downloaded the Sydney Culture Walks app you can see where they are at – you can grab some delicious street food and drinks at the Lunar Markets, a pop-up food festival that offers Asian food.
If you’re looking for some morning/afternoon fun, you can check out the Dragon Boat races at the Cockle Bay Wharf. The race is a tribute for the ancient Dragon Boat racing that has been in the Chinese culture for more than 2,000 years – and today, it represents patriotism and group integrity.
If you’re in Sydney and want to check out the times and locations of the events you can see it here!
If you’re not in Sydney, but still eager to check out some snaps of the festival, look for #CNYSYD across social media!