Join us for even more FREE festivities as we continue to celebrate the Year of the Snake at the Merrion Centre to celebrate Chinese New Year!

Following the successful commemorations last year, we are inviting visitors to once again experience various FREE cultural festivities on Saturday 25th January and Saturday 1st February 2025.

Day 1 of our celebration will see our main mall inside the Merrion Centre come alive with colour, sound, and excitement as we kick off our Chinese New Year celebrations with an afternoon of vibrant culture and traditions including…

11:00am Workshops/arts & crafts including Calligraphy, Chinese Painting & Lantern painting.
1pm Lion Dance Parade
1:15pm* Live Performances
2pm Dragon Ribbon Dance
2:15pm* Live performances
3pm* Visit from the Fortune God
3:15pm* Live performances
3:45pm Closing ceremony

*Live Performances:

A range of entertainment will rotate every five minutes on the main maill including lion dances, music, cultural workshops, and dazzling showcases of Chinese heritage.

Don’t miss the Fortune God’s visit and the chance to join the celebrations!

Please note: Performances and timings may be subject to change.

You can also join us for an extraordinary second day of Chinese New Year celebrations.

Day 2 - in addition to a variety of workshops and Chinese-style arts & crafts running throughout the day, you can expect entertainment, culture, and community spirit including…

11:00am Qi Lin Dance to welcome the New Year
11:30am Children and adults Choir
11:40am Enchanting solo Zither performance
11:55am Music House performances
12:15pm Adult Chinese dance
12:20pm Gong fu/Tai Chi performance
12:25pm Traditional Chinese Hanfu /Qipao Showcase
1:45pm – 3pm The above performances will be repeated in the same running order

Please note: Performances and timings may be subject to change.

We can’t wait for you to join us once again for an afternoon of cultural delight, vibrant dances and soulful music as we celebrate Chinese New Year at the Merrion Centre!

This event is sponsored by Business Confucius Institute at the University of Leeds.