It's the Year of the Ram

You know what it's like. You wait and wait for one new year to come, and then two come along one after the other! That's because February welcomes the arrival of Chinese New Year.

According to the organisers, this Chinese New Year is going to be ‘a celebration of traditional and contemporary Chinese culture’ which, given the size and range of Manchester's Chinatown and Chinese community,  means that we'll be offering the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations in the UK outside London.

Manchester will be hosting its largest party yet to welcome in the Year of the Ram, with thousands of red lanterns decorating the city’s shopping streets. Events include a food fair in St Ann’s Square showcasing some of the city’s best Chinatown eateries, alongside live music, performances and light shows, Cai Guo-Qiang’s installation ‘Unmanned Nature’ at the soon-to-be newly reopened Whitworth Art Gallery, family craft events at Manchester Art Gallery, a special exhibition at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, customisations, designer appearances and themed events across city centre stores – and the famous dragon parade and fireworks finale.

Last year saw thousands flocking to the city centre to join in the celebrations so expect Chinatown and the other areas of the city where New Year is being celebrated to be rammed... (sorry).

Chinese New Year: Thu Feb 19 - Sun Feb 22
Find out more at chinesenewyearmcr.com or follow what's happening on Twitter via @cny_mcr