Aiming to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Liverpool’s twinning with Shanghai, the city is preparing to host its grandest Lunar New Year celebrations featuring brand new art installations, activities, and performances. From February 9th to February 11th, the activities will cover Chinatown, Bombed Out Church (St Luke’s), Royal Albert Dock Liverpool and Liverpool ONE. The usual activities such as traditional dragon, lion and unicorn parades, Tai Chi, live music, firecracker displays, food and crafts, and family workshops will be available, but there will also be new cultural pieces that will be commissioned by Culture Liverpool.
Culture Liverpool has collaborated with Focal Studios, Pagoda, Bombed Out Church, and local artists to design wooden dragon installations and incorporate new and captivating animations with newly composed soundscape to tell the traditional Chinese story of the Boy and the Pearl. The projections will be presented from February 9 to February 11, transforming the Bombed Out Church at 6-9 pm each night. Walk The Plan and Bring the Fire have teamed up with Culture Liverpool to create a new outdoor entertainment, which features an illuminated, 25-metre dragon floating through the dock system and fire street theatre that showcases remarkable dance and martial arts performances, which will run from 5.30-9 pm each night from February 9 to February 11.
Local artists will share their skills with free family-friendly workshops ranging from lantern making sessions and candle making to traditional art and crafts, including dragon shadow puppetry, and storytelling. The festival will also have a mesmerising, fire-finale performance by Bring the Fire at Chinatown stage on the Sunday of the celebration. Also, the Philharmonic Hall’s music room will play the Harmony of the Dragon, a Chinese New Year Gala musical performance, including a representation of ‘Great Race’, a delightful tune associated with the CBBC programme of the same name.
Thousands of lanterns will adorn the city centre streets around Chinatown and Liverpool ONE from the beginning of February, and buildings such as Sefton Park Palm House, the Mersey Gateway Bridge, Cunard Building, Liverpool Town Hall, St George’s Hall, the Martin Luther King Building at the Royal Liverpool Albert Dock, Steve Prescott Bridge, Liverpool ONE and the Rotunda will be illuminated in red to honour the new year- signifying good fortune and joy for all.
The event is organised by Liverpool City Council’s Culture Liverpool team in collaboration with the Liverpool Chinese Business Association. Supporting the event are the Royal Albert Dock Liverpool, Liverpool ONE, Arts Council England, Canal and River Trust, Liverpool BID Company, and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The Liverpool Hung Gar Kung Fu Friendship Association and award-winning dance company Movema will also lead a lion parade through the city centre on February 3, starting from Bold Street near noon and finishing at the Royal Albert Dock Liverpool. To keep up with the latest updates, Culture Liverpool recommends following it on social media platforms or by following the conversation on socials with #LNYLiverpool.
Councillor Harry Doyle, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, said that this year’s event has had a bit of a glow-up, with more locations and a new name, which is testament to the scale, popularity and inclusivity of the celebration. It is set to be a real spectacle with a whole host of family-friendly activities, and it is a fantastic start to this special anniversary year marking Liverpool’s connection with Shanghai. According to Ming Wang, Secretary of Liverpool Chinese Business Association, the series of organised arts and cultural events would be fun-filled with plenty of activities for children and adults to enjoy.
Sean Morrison, Estate Manager at Royal Albert Dock, said that the dock is thrilled to be part of this year’s spectacular event, which marks the Lunar New Year. This year, a floating dragon will be present at the dock, offering three days of breath-taking performances. “Let’s embrace the Year of the Dragon with joy, harmony and a celebration that reflects our diverse community and shared heritage.”, Morrison added
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