Chinese New Year Festival at Box Hill Central
A 12-hour Lunar New Year celebration with hawker-style markets, 300-person tai chi performances and a roaming dragon dance.
Overview
UPDATE: JANUARY 30, 2020 — With the outbreak of coronavirus affecting many across the world, the organisers of this Saturday's Chinese New Year Festival have decided to postpone the event until further notice. The Asian Business Association of Whitehorse today released a statement saying that, while it acknowledges that there is no cause for concern for the public, it has decided not to hold the vent this weekend "for cultural and commercial reasons, and out of respect for the difficulties currently being experienced by many people". We'll let you know if the festival is rescheduled for a later date.
A melting pot of Asian food and culture, it's no surprise that Box Hill Central is going all out for its Lunar New Year celebrations. The precinct's welcoming the Year of the Rat with a whole month of revelry, filled with everything from performances, to striking pop-up installations kicking off on Saturday, January 25.
Just be sure to reserve some stamina for the main event on Saturday, February 1 — the Chinese New Year Festival. This colourful 12-hour party kicks off at 11am with a 300-person tai chi performance and a traditional lion dance. The rest of the day's entertainment lineup might see you swept up in some Chinese opera, learning some new moves courtesy of the International Wushu Federation's kung fu demonstration, watching a roaming dragon dance or even grooving to live tunes from the winner of The Voice China.
Meanwhile, Box Hill's Main Street will play host to a bustling Asian hawker market, packed full of street food snacks from top local vendors.
A Chinese lantern lighting ceremony takes place at 8pm, followed by a dazzling light show illuminating the ATO building every 30 minutes. And those still kicking on at 10.15pm can spend the rest of the evening indulging in one of Asia's favourite past-times with a hearty karaoke session.
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