Chinese New Year In Melbourne

Celebrate the Year Of The Pig. Experience Chinese New Year in Australia at Melbourne's Chinatown Festivities in February 2007

Jan 8, 2007

Chinese New Year is celebrated in Melbourne with a two day festival complete with lion dancing, fireworks, entertainment, activities, street stalls and excellent food.

Chinese New Year is celebrated in Melbourne every year and has become a renowned and well loved festival with cultural activities, Chinese opera and singing, fireworks, lion dances, karaoke, children’s activities, competitions, dragon parades, arts and crafts, stalls selling delicacies, Chinese calligraphy and so much more. Melbourne has a large Chinese population who throw themselves into this annual celebration. Herald in the Year Of The Pig at the FCA Chinese New Year Festival from 17 to 18 February 2007.

Festivities begin on New Years Eve, Saturday the 17th at 11.00am and for enthusiastic revellers the celebrations continue most of the night, concluding at 12.30am. The street festival is full of colour, celebration, noise, activity and exuberance. Red and gold adorn shop frons and the scents of Chinese delicacies waft from stalls and restaurants and the sound of beating drums and firecrackers part the celebrating crowd as lion dances pass up the street. The atmosphere is charged with excitement and anticipation as adults and children alike join in the festivities.

Stages are set up for performers from local community performers to international guests. Crowds gather quickly at the stages for the more popular events and being early is advisable.

A temporary Buddhist temple is erected on the street and a blessing ceremony commences at around 10.30pm.

At 8.30pm a karaoke competition begins on the main stage, from the sublime to the ear rending, participants sing their hearts out. Sometimes funny, sometimes beautiful, sometimes a cacophony, but always entertaining, it is worth a few minutes to listen to the competing singers.

At midnight a magnificent display fireworks and the banging of firecrackers accompanies the final and most spectacular lion parade.

Celebrations continue on new Years Day with more activities, performances and guests. The highlight of the day is the awakening of the Millennium Dragon and its parade through Chinatown. To bring good luck and good fortune to yourself and your family try to touch the dragon as it passes. The streets are once again filled with stalls and lion dances, cracking fireworks and excellent food. The celebrations continue until 6.00pm when exhausted revellers head for home and sleep.

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Jan 14, 2007 4:16 PM

Philippa Rowlands :

In 2006 Chinese New Year celebrations in Melbourne were great. The atmosphere was fantastic and I am really looking forward to going again this year. Has anyone been to celebrations in any other part of Australia?

Jan 15, 2007 5:50 AM

Hugh Taylor :

Sounds great to me as well. Plus the food in Melbourne is fantastic. I was there in July 2005 and sampled lots of the restaurants. It must be the food capital of Australia.

Jan 19, 2007 11:21 PM

Philippa Rowlands :

Australia has such a huge food culture. Melbourne has the reputation as being a foodie heaven with excellent food and a huge choices from all around the world. Melbourne has a pretty diverse ethnic mix and this is reflected in the food. Food goes hand in hand with the travel experience and melbourne is a great place to start in Australia and for Chinese food Chinatown in the city centre is exceptional.