One of the biggest nights of the year is fast approaching, as a fifth of the world’s population gets ready to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Once again, it will be a massive event in Birmingham, much like it will be around the rest of the United Kingdom.
Celebrations surrounding the New Year have been relatively low key since the welcoming of the Year of the Rat in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, but what can locals expect to see around the Second City as we celebrate the Year of the Tiger?
Arcadian Centre
The main place to ring in the new Chinese Year has for a long time been the Arcadian Centre in Birmingham. However, for the second year running, there will be no event staged at the location due to the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Plans were halted a couple of weeks ago, which meant that there will be no live music, street food or lion dances in the city’s Chinese quarter on February 1st. However, there are still other locations that can be attended to celebrate the festivities.
Birmingham Lunar New Year Concert
One of the biggest celebrations of the New Year will take place on January 27th, as the University of Birmingham hosts the Lunar New Year Concert. The location is easy enough for visitors to find, as it is just a five minute walk from New Street Station. Best of all, the tickets are free. However, those looking to attend the event will need to still apply for their tickets online due to limited availability.
You can order your tickets for the huge event to celebrate the Year of the Tiger here. It promises to be an exciting night for all those in attendance, with students from Jinan University that are studying in the Second City among those that will be performing. Other performers that will be taking to the stage include Didi Xiao, Euphoria China and Eimear McGeown.
Bullring & Grand Central
Those looking to get into the spirit of Chinese New Year without attending an event will also be in luck, as there will be celebrations throughout the day on Saturday, February 5th around the city. Those that are in the city around the Mailbox and Grand Central will be treated to free performances throughout the day, with lion dances and precessions part of a huge programme of events.
Visitors to the Second City on the Saturday will also be able to witness fan dancers, face changing dancers and shaolin monks. The effort has been produced by the Birmingham Hippodrome and supported by both the Chinese Community Centre and Chinese Festival Committee Birmingham. It promises to be an exciting day in the city, so if you are free, get yourself into the heart of the action.
After you have finished celebrating the Year of the Tiger, you can check out some of the coolest canal side bars and restaurants in Birmingham.
