Chinese New Year Twilight Parade

One of Sydney’s favourite events, the Chinese New Year Twilight Parade is the highlight of the New Year festivities.

Bringing a magical beauty to the summer evening, floats, lanterns and dancers weave their way, snake-like, from Sydney Town Hall down to Harbour Street, illuminated by stunning projections on city buildings.

Join us for the pre-parade entertainment, with dancers, acrobats and music. As evening descends, gasp in amazement as the giant snake comes alive, shedding its skin along our streets in a symbol of renewal.

This parade figurehead is drawn from an ancient Chinese story – Lady White Snake – telling of a snake goddess who lived briefly with mortals and was betrayed by her love and imprisoned for her powers, only to escape back to her proper realm.

A powerful creature in Asian and Western cultures, both revered and feared, the snake features in stories throughout history. You’ll see the native American rattle snake, Snakes and Ladders, a witty take on Eve, Cleopatra and other women who tangled with the snake – and plenty of other snakes alive!

There’s fabulous dancing, floats from our local Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese communities and our visitors from Shenzhen will be treating us to a special parade entries. Don’t miss out on a night to remember as you welcome the Year of the Snake.

WHEN: Sun 17 Feb at 8:00 pm

WHERE: Sydney Town Hall to Chinatown, 483 George Street, Sydney

Entertainment schedule on the night

7 – 8pm

• Pre-parade entertainment
• Dancers & acrobats and all sorts of snake like entertainment

8pm

• Eye Dotting Ceremony – Town Hall

8.15pm

• Parade starts

8pm – 1am

• Sydney’s buildings transform with magical projections illuminating their facades.

Post-parade fireworks

• Join us for a stunning fireworks display at Cockle Bay to scare off the previous year’s bad luck and mark the beginning of the Year of the Snake!

An accessible viewing area for people with mobility support needs is available on Harbour Street outside the Sydney Entertainment Centre from 7.15pm.

The nearest public transport access point is the Paddy’s Markets Light Rail stop.  If you require access to the viewing area, please contact City of Sydney on 9265 9218 or email gmarshall@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.

Chinese New Year Special at Metro Hotel Sydney Central

Celebrate Chinese New Year at Metro Hotel Sydney Central with this special at $215.00 (maximum 2 people per package) per night

• One nights accommodation in a Deluxe Room
• Lucky Red Bag Kit on arrival ( 1 kit per room)
• Daily Hot Buffet Breakfast for 1 or 2 adults
• Daily Free Wi Fi 

Book this Chinese New Year Special at Metro Hotel Sydney Central

View Metro Hotel Sydney Central
 
 Terms and Conditions:

• Offer is subject to availability.
• Cancellations or changes to bookings for this room will not be permitted for any reason.
• Once confirmed a booking cannot be refunded or altered in any way.
• Valid between 01st – 28th February 2013.
• Rates are not valid with any other offer.
• All other terms & conditions will be provided when making your booking

Sydney Chinese New Year Festival 2013

Slither into the Year of the Snake

In February 2013 don your best red outfit, adorn yourself with a bloodstone, find your inner schemer and slither your way into the Year of the Snake at one of Sydney's favourite festivals.

Sydney Chinese New Year Festival kicks off with a festive bang on Friday 8 February and closes with the splash of dragon boat racing on Sunday 24 February. And in between you'll find everything from art exhibits, film festivals and markets to lunar feasts at top Sydney restaurants and of course, the ever popular Chinese New Year Twilight Parade.

The Year of the Snake. Image from Sydney Chinese New Year website.

Sydney's festival lays claim to the title of the biggest Chinese New Year Festival outside mainland China. There's so much happening that Sydney needs more than two weeks to fit it all in. For full details of the more than eighty events and activities on offer - many of them free - see the website here, but below is a summary of the festival's not-to-be-missed highlights.

Highlights

Chinese New Year Markets

The festival begins with the authentic sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a Chinese marketplace, transforming Sydney's Belmore Park into a little piece of China.

The festival's opening weekend serves up food stalls, Chinese arts and crafts, entertainment, and the Chinese New Year AYAM Kitchen where former Master Chef favourites, Adam Liaw and Alvin Quah, will be giving cooking demonstrations and tips.

Image from Sydney Chinese New Year website.

When: Friday 8 February from 4pm to 10pm, Saturday 9 February from 11am to 7pm, Sunday 10 February from 11am to 5pm.
Where: Belmore Park, Eddy Avenue, Sydney (opposite Central Station).
Cost:Free


Festival Launch

In addition to the Friday night markets, there will be lion dances, firecrackers to scare away the last of the previous year's problems, and entertainment from the crew at SBS PopAsia, to celebrate the festival's official launch.

Image for Sydney Chinese New Year Festival website.

When: Friday 8 February from 6pm to 8pm
Where: Belmore Park, Eddy Avenue, Sydney (opposite Central Station).
Cost: Free


Twilight Parade

The magical, annual procession of floats, lanterns, acrobats and dancers will once again make its way from Sydney Town Hall to Harbour Street, to the backdrop of Sydney's beautifully illuminated buildings. There's also pre-parade entertainment and post-parade fireworks at Cockle Bay.

Image from Sydney Chinese New Year Festival website.

When and Where: Sunday 17 February. The evening begins at Sydney Town Hall at 7pm, with the parade from 8pm and festivities conclude with the Cockle Bay fireworks.
Cost: Free. There is also limited VIP seating available for $66 per person. Call 02 9265 9333 for information and to book.


Lunar Feasts

This year's festival introduces Lunar Feasts, where some of Sydney's top Asian restaurants will be offering set price meals to celebrate the new year. You can experience everything from vegan yum cha or an eight course lunch banquet to "Food of Tasteful Pleasure' or a premium deluxe banquet. These specials will be available throughout the festival, but bookings are essential and ensure you read the fine print (some conditions apply). You can find the list of participating restaurants and details of their specials here.

Image from Sydney Chinese New Year Festival website

When: From 8 to 24 February 2013
Where: Participating restaurants
Cost: Ranges from $20 to $50 per person.


Dragon Boat Races

See the powerful yet poetic spectacle of dragon boat racing on the last weekend of the festival. The 12 metre long boats seat twenty paddlers along with a sweep and a drummer. Competition will be fierce and exciting at Darling Harbour.

Image from Sydney Chinese New Year Festival website.

When: Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 February 2013.
Where: Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour
Cost: Free

The Gala Night of Dynamic Chengdu

Date: 30 January
Time: 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm
Location: Sydney Town Hall483 George Street Sydney

Phone: 02 9186 1588

Email: events@ausfeng.com.au

Website: www.ausfeng.com.au

Cost: $88/$58/$38

Description

Discover the rich culture and customs of Chengdu, as visiting performers from this region treat Sydney to a showcase of dance, singing, ‘face changing’ (the use of changing masks), and traditional costumes to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Using love as their overarching theme, Han, Tibetan, Qiang and Yi groups present their thanks to nature and the land of abundance that is Chengdu. You'll be immersed in the culture of western China at this special performance to be held in Sydney for one night only.

Find out more

Chinese New Year a Boost for NSW Tourism

Minister for Tourism and Major Events, George Souris, welcomed the start of the Chinese New Year this week; highlighting that Sydney’s celebration of the Year of the Dragon is the largest outside Asia.

Mr Souris said Sydney’s Chinese New Year Festival and Sydney Airport’s ‘Red Ambassador’ initiative, which welcomes arriving Chinese visitors during the festival period are important not only to the local Chinese community, but for tourism to NSW.

“In 2012, we celebrate the Year of the Dragon, one of the most powerful and a lucky sign in the Chinese zodiac and it coincides with an expected 150,000 visitors from China and Asia to NSW over the next six weeks.

“Sydney Airport’s initiative, the ‘Red Ambassador’ program, will operate with Mandarin-speaking volunteers providing directions and information to arriving visitors. This is a great way to warmly welcome the huge number of visitors who are visiting Sydney at this very special time,” Mr Souris said.

“The Chinese New Year Festival is a great summer family event with free markets, displays and exhibitions, entertainment and cultural activities.

“The NSW Government is working to maximise opportunities for boosting tourism from China and Hong Kong through a number of marketing campaigns and promotions which position our State as the holiday destination of choice,” Mr Souris said.

Chinese New Year 2012 at the Chinese Garden of Friendship

Friday 20 January - Sunday 5 February

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with family and friends in the Chinese Garden of Friendship.

There's something for everyone, including fun activities for kids, enlightening talks on Chinese culture and insightful demonstrations.

Don't miss the open weekend on Saturday 21 January and Sunday 22 January when entry to the Garden is free for everyone.

Sydney's Chinese New Year Twilight Parade this Weekend

Sydneysiders will be wowed by a stunning fire dragon performance at this year’s Chinese New Year Twilight Parade.

The 18-metre red-and-gold dragon, which 20 performers in colourful costumes will steer, twist and turn to the tune of gongs and drums, has a 4000-year-old history in the town of Huanglongxi, on the outskirts of Chengdu, in central China.

‘Close proximity’ fireworks, which burn at a much lower temperature than traditional fireworks, will shower the dragon in a dramatic explosion of light at the beginning and end of the parade, at Sydney Town Hall and Darling Harbour.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said this year’s parade would be Sydney’s biggest and brightest yet, thanks to a partnership with the city of Chengdu.

“The dragon’s ride from Town Hall to Darling Harbour will be a thrilling centrepiece to the City’s Lunar New Year celebrations,” the Lord Mayor said.

“With the throb of percussion and over 2,900 performers from Sydney and around the world dressed in dazzling costumes and on amazingly decorated floats, the parade will be truly spectacular.

“Seen by millions of people across Australia and throughout Asia, it’s no wonder our Twilight Parade has become one of the major events on Sydney’s cultural calendar.”

The fire dragon performance, which was awarded the status of ‘national intangible cultural heritage’ in China in 2010, will play a starring role among a group of 130 performers from Chengdu, Sydney’s official partner city for the 2012 celebrations.

“The dragon is a very spiritual animal in Chinese mythology and this ancient performance expresses both the strong spirit of the Chinese nation and the celebratory atmosphere of the Chinese New Year Festival,” said Mr Zhu Yuan, performance director from the Huanglongxi Fire Dragon and Lion Club.

“We are looking forward to bringing this beautiful and unusual piece of Chengdu to Australia as a very special way of celebrating the Year of the Dragon.”

Close proximity fireworks are used throughout China in performances and parades as a spectacular alternative to traditional explosives. Because the combustion point is lower, the sparks cool mid-air and are only slightly warm to the touch.

Mr Zhu and his performers are working with the team behind the Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks, Foti International Fireworks, to ensure the fireworks are safe and spectacular when they are lit on Sydney’s streets this Sunday, 29 January.

“It’s always exciting to be involved in performances that have such cultural significance and are steeped in history and tradition,” said Tino Foti, from Australia’s leading pyrotechnics team.

The highlight of each Chinese New Year celebration, Sydney’s annual Twilight Parade is a feast for the senses with dynamic live music, amazing floats, dazzling costumes, beautiful illuminated zodiac lanterns and much more.

The Parade is a great night out for young and old, with a unique mix of traditional and contemporary performances. More than 2,900 local and international performers will feature in this year’s street spectacular.

Alongside the Chengdu performances, crowds gathered along the Parade route will be treated to dragons from East and West, stunning floats, martial artists, circus performers, Chinese musicians, ballroom dancers, live art installations and visiting groups from Beijing and Shanghai.

Brilliant light projections on three buildings along the Parade route will turn the City centre into a mini-Hong Kong, while the Parade will literally end with a bang in Darling Harbour with a fireworks show.

Limited VIP seating is available for the Twilight Parade – $60pp + GST.
To book, call: 02 9265 9333.