Chinese New Year In London: January 29th
Chinese New Year is just a few short weeks away and while there’s sure to be something going on to celebrate in your hometown, it could be a fun idea to gather a group of your friends together and organise minibus hire to London so you can join in the festivities in Trafalgar Square.
This year is the Year of the Rooster, beginning on January 28th. Celebrations will start on the 27th and typically go on for about two weeks, which means this is the longest holiday in the Chinese calendar… and means that there will be plenty going on for you to enjoy. Each year, Chinese New Year is celebrated with lots of traditional lion dances, the lighting of firecrackers and the joyous ringing of bells, all to signal the end of one year and the start of the next.
The good news for you is that the Chinese New Year festivities in London are free to attend, so you’ll have plenty of holiday money left over for other activities if you choose to stay in the capital for a few days. Make your way to Trafalgar Square, Chinatown and the West End if you want to get caught up in all the action from the get-go.
The day will start with a Chinese parade making its way through the streets of the West End, with Trafalgar Square home to all sorts of stage performances like opera, dragon and lion dances, acrobats, martial arts and dance troupes, with fireworks in the square to mark the end of the celebrations.
If you really want to get involved, make sure that you dress up in something red, the key colour of the Chinese New Year. You can go all out and deck yourself out head to toe in red, but if you’d rather pare it back something like a scarf or jumper will be absolutely fine. And, of course, this is a really family-friendly event, so bring the kids and have their faces painted with fun rooster motifs!
And once the celebrations on the 29th are done and dusted, see the new year in properly as the Chinese would do by heading up to higher ground. In Chinese culture, climbing up high and looking out as far as you can on New Year’s Day, or the day after, will bring you good luck in your career, your study, or your business – so head up the London Eye or the Shard if you want to ensure good fortune for the year ahead.
Remember that there will be lots of people heading to the same place as you at the end of the month, so leave plenty of time for travel and plan well in advance. Use Journey Planner if you want to find out the best way to get there – and avoid driving in cars as it’ll take you ages to get where you want to be.
