Chester’s Lunar New Year Celebrations

Chester will celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Snake on Saturday February 1st 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 and supported by Bank of America and Cheshire West and Chester Council, along with other local businesses.

The event begins at 11am at Eastgate Street, then up Northgate Street to Town Hall Square. Maria Yuen from Ji Siu Tai Chi Chuan Group of Handbridge will kick off the celebrations. The Lions will be woken by representatives of Bank of America and the Cheshire West and Cheshire Council. The Hung Gar Kung Fu Academy with Steve Ornelas will lead the colourful Lions and Dragon dance and resume with another performance inside The Town Hall Assembly Room at 12 noon.

Tutors from Wah Lei Saturday Mandarin school based at the University of Chester and volunteers will deliver cultural workshops from 12.30pm to 2.30pm for the festival celebrations inside The Town Hall including calligraphy and a special guest, Tai Chi Panda.

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

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

“Celebrating the Lunar New Year Festival will include volunteer members who have been working for several months to produce the Lunar New Year Festival. This festival celebrates the commitment and hard work of all volunteers who have helped the group since 2009 delivering Mandarin language classes at the University of Chester campus. I’d like to thank all our volunteers who have made a difference in breaking down racial and cultural barriers in the community. We are delighted to work in partnership with Bank of America, Cheshire West and Chester Council and other sponsors to produce this festival event.”

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

“I would like to wish everyone a very happy Year of the Snake. The spectacle of the Chinese Dragon and Lion Dancers marks the start of the Lunar New Year of the Snake. 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.”

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 the diversity of 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 Snake with the people of Chester.”

The Lunar New Year, or 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.

Please email info@wahlei.org for more details or visit Wah Lei Chinese Association Facebook page.

You can donate to support charity Wah Lei Chinese Association produce the Lunar New Year Festival at: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/chester-chinese-new-year-2025

Pictured - Intermediate students of the Saturday Mandarin School with their hongbao envelopes ready for the New Year.