Chinese New Year takes place this year on Thursday February 19, but for London
the main Chinese New Year celebrations, marking the Year of the Sheep, take
place on February 22.
As usual, London’s Chinese New Year celebrations are set to be the biggest
outside of Asia and hundreds of thousands of people are expected to descend
on the West End to mark the occasion.
Events begin at 10am, with a colourful New Year’s Parade that passes along
Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue before reaching Chinatown. An
official opening ceremony (expected to take place at midday) in Trafalgar
Square will then be followed by various performances. Expect to see
acrobatics, traditional dance, theatre and song recitals by artists visiting
from China especially for the occasion. A second stage on Shaftesbury Avenue
will provide a platform to local performers and up-and-coming acts.
Beyond the main stages there’ll be plenty to see and do throughout Chinatown,
with craft stalls and food stands in operation during the day and the area’s
numerous restaurants set to be especially lively. All activities forming
part of the official celebrations are free to attend and, although the
programme concludes at 6pm, there should events taking place in Chinatown
until later that evening.
Other options:
In addition to the official celebrations, Londoners can mark the arrival of
the Year of the Sheep at various locations throughout the city.
On Saturday, February 21, the National Gallery will host a full day of Chinese
New Year-related family-friendly
activities. They will include interactive demonstrations of Chinese
instruments and Chinese storytelling sessions, alongside puppet-making
classes and play sessions for toddlers. Admission is free but advance
booking is recommended.
On the same day, the National
Maritime Museum will celebrate the occasion with a day of free
workshops, performances and a traditional lion dance at its Greenwich site.
In Knightsbridge, Mr Chow
will celebrate Chinese New Year by serving its signature noodles,
hand-pulled by the chef in front of diners, and dumplings, which symbolise
wealth in Chinese culture, alongside lamb dishes.
Within Kensington’s Royal
Garden Hotel, Min
Jiang restaurant will serve a nine-course menu of Chinese favourites on
February 18 and 19. Costing £98 per person, it will include dishes such as
crispy lamb brisket with Chinese buns and steamed king prawns with fermented
chilli sauce.
Recommended Chinese restaurants in London
From Sophie Campbell, our London expert
Y Ming (020 7734 2721 ; yming.co.uk)
35-36 Greek Street, W1: This place is small, friendly, not in the least bit
interested in being hip and serves northern Chinese food, rather than the
Cantonese you normally find in London. The vegetarian options are great and
they do a pre-theatre menu for £12. Try the soft shell crab (£8.50) or the
beef with coriander in a wrap (£11). They also say on the menu that if you
want Peking Duck done properly it requires four hours’ notice, so that’s on
my wish list.
And I do like dim sum at the Royal China on Queensway, Bayswater (020
7221 2535; rcguk.co.uk),
partly because of the workmanlike servicing of huge circular tables full of
Chinese families, business people and locals, and partly because they do
great dumplings. I’m a sucker for the Shaolin Monk Hotpot, which has lots of
bean curd in it and I always hope will be thrown across the room by a
martial artist, and they do the sublime Mango Pudding, loathed by everyone I
know except me. I consider it right up there in the culinary pantheon with
Jam Roly Poly. They’ve got a number of other sites in London. There’s a good
one on Baker Street.
Discover more:
For more on what to do in London and information on the capital’s best
restaurants, bars, hotels and attractions, see our complete London
city break guide. Our West
End guide includes detailed recommendations about the best venues in
Soho and the surrounding areas.
Should the event inspire you to learn more about China, you can see our
essential guide to the country here.
You can see our complete Hong Kong destination guide here.
For other things to do on holidays in London over the Chinese New Year
weekend, see our guides to London’s
best restaurants, London’s
best afternoon teas, London’s
best brunches and 100
Things to do in London.
Recommended article: Chomsky: We Are All – Fill in the Blank.
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Things to do in London; London lifestyle, culture and travel – London guide