Lunar New Year will be celebrated in Hanley’s Cultural Quarter this February as the city celebrates the Chinese Year of the Horse with a full day of free events and activities.
The free celebrations with the city’s Chinese community will take place on Sunday 22 February across the Spitfire Gallery at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Smithfield, City Central Library and the Mitchell Arts Centre.
The event will feature traditional music and dance, including the iconic Dragon and Lion performances, alongside Kung Fu displays, mask changing, acrobatics and firecrackers.
Visitors will also be able to take part in Chinese craft sessions, circus skills workshops and hands-on activities.
The celebrations come as The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery continues its multi-million-pound transformation, part of a £5 million masterplan supported by Arts Council England’s Cultural Development Fund.
Despite the ongoing works, the museum team has worked with partners to ensure the popular event can still go ahead in the city centre.
Councillor Sarah Hill, cabinet member for finance, anti-poverty and corporate services at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “Lunar New Year is always hugely popular in Stoke-on-Trent, so it’s great that we can bring these celebrations back to the city centre this year.
“We have strong cultural links with China through our ceramics heritage and our partnership with Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital. This event is a chance to celebrate those connections and share Chinese traditions with residents and visitors.
“It’s also a celebration of our city’s diversity and creativity. Lunar New Year is recognised by UNESCO as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage and it fits perfectly with our ambition to become a UNESCO Creative City.”
The free event will run from 11am to 4pm on Sunday 22 February. A small charge will apply for the clay activity.
More information is available on the museum’s website at: https://www.stokemuseums.org.uk/pmag/whats-on/events/chinese-new-year-of-the-horse/
- More articles in the news archive
- Stoke-on-Trent news RSS feed