The streets and laneways of Haymarket, Darling Square and Darling Harbour will come to life on Lunar New Year's Day for Sydney's biggest block party.
Sydney Lunar Festival will kick off on 25 January with free performances, markets, amusement rides and roving performers at a brand new event, Lunar Lanes.
City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the day-to-night celebrations will bring visitors and locals together for a joyous street party.
"Sydney Lunar Festival is the largest celebration of Lunar New Year outside of Asia and is a fantastic way for the people of Sydney, as well as visitors from interstate and overseas, to enjoy everything Haymarket, Chinatown and the Darling Harbour foreshore have to offer."
The party starts at 2pm at the Darling Square stage with an exciting line up of contemporary music including Malaysian drumming, Vietnamese pop and Asian-Australian musicians, producers and DJ's.
As the sun goes down, the festivities will get underway in Haymarket with the Lunar Spectacular Show at the Sussex Street stage. The concert will feature over 300 community performers ready to share their culture with traditional and contemporary dance, Korean percussion, Japanese hip hop and fashion shows.
They will be joined by international performers including the Shaanxi Performing Arts Troupe from China, and Seoul's top b-boy crew, MB Crew. From 9pm, you can dance in the streets to the sounds of Filipino-Australian band, Erween.
Street vendors and craft stalls will pop-up all across the district as visitors weave their way through art installations including the Chinatown Lantern Curtain and two 2.8 metre tall, golden robotic rats designed by Claudia Chan Shaw in Dixon Street Mall.
Just a stone's throw away, you'll find Louise Zhang's Chinese garden-inspired Moon Gates on Little Hay Street and the interactive Lucky Lunar Lamp Posts installation at Darling Square.
With amusement rides, carnival games, face painting and Vietnamese woodblock craft workshops there's something for the whole family.
Roving performers will entertain crowds throughout Chinatown, and Lunar New Year wouldn't be complete without the joyful lion and dragon dancers, with more than a dozen performances bringing good luck to the Year of the Rat through the evening.
Lunar Lanes will be held on Saturday 25 January 2020.
Activities include:
Lunar Block Party, Darling Square stage, from 2pm
A showcase of Asian contemporary and pop music performances including The Dani Bui Band, Sophie Koh, DJ Dumplings and Rainbow Chan.
Face painting, Harbour Street, 5pm - 8pm
Children can have their faces painted with their Lunar Zodiac animal.
Vietnamese Woodblock workshops, Harbour Street, 5pm - 8pm
Make your own artwork inspired by Vietnam's Lunar New Year (Tet) woodblock printing traditions! These prints, each with a different meaning, are used to decorate the family home during this festive season.
Carnival rides & games, Harbour & Sussex streets, 5pm - 10pm
Enjoy a trip on the Ferris wheel or a ride on the spinning tea cups.
Sussex Street Stage, 5pm
The Sussex Street stage will feature cultural performance groups from across Sydney ready to share their culture with traditional and contemporary dance, Korean drumming, Japanese hip hop and fashion shows. They will be joined by the singers, dancers and acrobats of the Shaanxi Performing Troupe, one of Korea's top b-boy crews MB Crew and a closing set from 6 piece band Erween.
Lion and Dragon Dances, 5pm - 10pm
More than a dozen lion and dragon dance troupes from across Sydney will perform throughout the event over the evening. From 8.30pm, the magical LED lion and dragon dance troupes will light up the night.
Media
For media inquiries or images, contact Belinda Wallis
Phone 0467 810 160 or email bwallis@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Anusha Muller
Phone 0408 494 545 or email amuller@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
For Sydney Lunar Festival event details, visit What's On.
- City of Sydney image - lion dance 124.66 KB