January 1st isn’t always a fresh start for us all, and the dark cold and rainy weather can often cause a lot of people to feel the January blues. If you are a student living in Lancaster, the Chinese New Year Festival is the perfect opportunity for another fresh start and a great way to celebrate the beginning of term 2. This year, Chinese New Year falls on the 22nd of January and it will last for 16 days.
2023 is the year of the rabbit (the water rabbit to be specific), which is seen as a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in the Chinese culture. The year of the rabbit is predicted to be a year of hope, and the perfect reason to leave your Lancaster student accommodation to get outside and join in the Chinese New Year festivities.
Lancaster will be hosting the traditional sights and sounds of China to bring the city centre to life with the New Year Festival. More than 500 beautiful Chinese lanterns will cover the whole of Lancaster for the festivities. Some students living right in the city centre should be able to see the lanterns from their Lancaster student accommodation!
The main event will include a show at the Grand Theatre consisting of traditional Chinese kung fu, puppetry, music and dance. Current Chinese students from Lancaster University will also be taking part in the performances. If you want to book tickets to watch the performances, visit the Grand Theatre website. Students living in Lancaster also get a discount on tickets for the variety show.
Another highlight of the Chinese New Year festival is the dragon parade, which will be taking place in market square from 12pm- 5pm on the 29th of January 2023. The dragon will be accompanied by a Chinese lion and together they will perform around the centre of town, interacting with the public. Again, those of you living in off-campus accommodation based right in Lancaster city centre might be able to watch it from the windows of their student home.
Local schools will be working alongside professionals to perform a variety of different acts including kung fu, Chinese dancing, music and magic. There will also be a variety of different stalls selling traditional foods, drink and more! There will also be a free photo booth in which you can celebrate the New Year with your friends and loved ones and have a small memento to take away.
The Chinese New Year festival is the perfect way to relax, and a great opportunity to leave your Lancaster student accommodation and enjoy everything Lancaster has to offer. To keep up to date with all things Lancaster student living and IPM visit our website.