Chester’s Lunar New Year celebrations 2026

Chester will celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Horse on Saturday, February 21st with performances of traditional music, lions and dragon dancing, non-combustible firecrackers and cultural characters.

The God of Prosperity, The Emperor of Heaven and The Happy Buddha will be in Chester city centre on the Saturday morning in an event delivered by the Wah Lei Chinese Association supported by Bank of America, Cheshire West and Chester Council and 6 other local organisations.

The event begins at 11am on Eastgate Street, continuing along Northgate Street to Chester Town Hall. Maria Yuen from Ji Siu Tai Chi Chuan Group of Handbridge will start the celebrations. The Lions will be woken by representatives of Bank of America and Cheshire West and Cheshire Council. The Hung Gar Kung Fu Academy led by Steve Ornelas will showcase the colourful Lions and Dragon dance and this will be followed by additional performances inside The Town Hall Assembly Room at 12 noon.

Calligraphy sessions and interactive activities will be hosted by tutors from Wah Lei Saturday Mandarin school from the University of Chester and volunteers from 12.30pm to 2.30pm inside The Town Hall with special guest, Tai Chi Panda.

A celebration banquet with the Lions will take place at Panda Mami Restaurant, Newgate Street from 1.15pm. Advanced booking now is recommended.

Mia Tan, Chair and Founder of Wah Lei Chinese Association:

“Lunar New Year is a time to celebrate culture, community and connection. This festival reflects the dedication of volunteers who have worked tirelessly since 2009 to deliver language classes and cultural programmes that break down barriers and foster inclusion. We are proud to work with Bank of America, Cheshire West and Chester Council and other sponsors to bring this celebration to life.

Iwona Szmidt, Managing Director, Site Lead for Chester at Bank of America said:

“Bank of America is honoured to continue our longstanding support of the Lunar New Year festival. Championing inclusion and fostering a sense of belonging  for our employees and the communities we serve is core to who we are as a company. We very much look forward to celebrating the Year of the Horse with the people of Chester.”

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council said:

“I would like to wish everyone a very joyful Year of the Horse. The spectacle of the Chinese Dragon and Lion Dancers marks the start of the Lunar New Year of the Horse. We are welcoming back The God of Prosperity, The Emperor of Heaven and Happy Buddha who will be waking the Lions. There will also be Tai Chi demonstrations in Eastgate and at the Town Hall. This is a celebration not to be missed.”

Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is the most important celebration in the Chinese zodiac calendar and follows a 12-year cycle. Chinese legend states that The Emperor of Heaven asked all the animals to meet him on New Year’s Day and named a year after each of the twelve animals that came.

The Wah Lei Chinese Association is also supported by Cheshire, Halton and Warrington Race Equality Centre, the University of Chester and Chester Voluntary Action.

For more details, please email: 

wahlei@btinternet.com 

...or visit Wah Lei Chinese Association's Facebook page.

Pictured - Students at the Saturday Mandarin School run by the Wah Lei Chinese Association at the University of Chester preparing for Chester’s Lunar New Year 2026 celebrations.