Chinese New Year Festival 2011

27 January 2011

Chinese New Year celebrations kick off on Saturday 5 February with a fantastic programme lined up for this year's event, which marks a decade of festivities in Wellington.

Linda Lim, Festival Director says "Its mind blowing to see that from small beginnings in 2002 the Festival has become a "must see" in Wellington's cultural events calendar. We still can't believe that we are on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Festival in Wellington. At the time we didn't think we would get through one Festival, let alone ten!"

Over the years the Festival has developed into a unique celebration of the Chinese New Year in NZ with a diverse programme, that in 2010 attracted estimated audiences of 30,000 plus and involved over 2000 volunteers.

Chinese New Year's Day falls on 3 February when millions of Chinese all over the world will welcome in the Year of the Rabbit. Chinese New Year is one of the oldest and most celebrated Festivals in the world, and Asian Events Trust, Festival organisers, will be pulling a "rabbit" out of the hat with the first event on Saturday 5 February, "Sin Nian Rabbit Magic" - a family friendly event with lots of rabbit themed games, crafts, entertainment and magic for the young and young at heart.

The following weekend is packed with a diverse programme of events as follows:

New Clothes for the New Year Fashion and Dance Show Saturday 12 February, 1pm to 3pm Where savvy and sophisticated high street fashion meets urban street dance; a 'must see' event combining the talents of New Zealand designers with some of Wellington's best dancers.

10th Festival Fireworks Display Saturday 12 February, 9pm A dazzling fireworks display to light up the night sky on Wellington's waterfront.

Festival Day Sunday 13 February, 10am to 5pm Featuring an Asian Market packed with food & craft stalls and displays, street parade and cultural entertainment, this is the finale of the Festival. The headline act for Festival Day will be the Hebei Acrobatic and Magic Troupe, presented by Zirka Circus. This amazing and talented group of performers will feature in the stage programmes inside the Asian Market and Frank Kitts Park. The full range of skills of the group can be seen in a 2 hour ticketed show in their very own circus tent.

"We are very excited about the programme confirmed for our 10th Festival. No other centre in the country celebrates Chinese New Year the way that Wellington does. We are very proud of the contribution that the Festival has made to Wellington being such a culturally diverse city that embraces all cultures", says Linda.

Full details of the Festival programme can be found on www.chinesenewyear.org.nz

ENDS

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