Chinese New Year Festival set to colour Wellington
28 NOVEMBER 2019
Chinese New
Year Festival set to colour Wellington in February
2020
One of Wellington’s favourite
cultural events returns 1-2 February 2020 with another
explosive programme. Asian Events Trust is proud to present
the Chinese New Year Festival 2020, the Year of the Rat.
From its humble beginnings in 2002, the annual
Chinese New Year celebrations have become an important part
of Wellington's events calendar. The festival provides a
rich platform for local community groups to showcase their
talents and inspire the wider community to experience and
engage with a vibrant and diverse culture.
The
festival will kick off on Saturday 1 February with the
crowd-favourite East Meets West show, a
cross-culture, cross-genre showcase at the TSB Arena. In
2019 the show was met with a packed out TSB Arena and
standing ovations, the 2020 programme is set to continue the
momentum. The theme of the upcoming East Meets West
show is Colours of our Culture, inspired by
visual artist Guy Ngan, a second-generation Chinese-New
Zealander whose work is characterised by bold colours.
Linda Lim, Chinese New Year
Festival Programme Director says, “The East Meets
West show forms an integral part of the festival
programme and we are thrilled to acknowledge Guy Ngan’s
significant contribution to Aotearoa’s cultural
landscape.”
The show will feature performances
through song, dance and film to highlight the significance
of colours to the Chinese culture.
Liz Ngan,
daughter of Guy and guardian of his estate and artistic
legacy says, “I am excited to see this collaboration
between visual and performing arts and the opportunity for
the Chinese and wider community to enjoy Guy’s work in
this context.”
Following the East Meets
West show, a spectacular fireworks display on
Wellington’s waterfront will farewell the Year of the Pig
and welcome in the Rat. Sunday 2 February is Festival Day
and a chance to experience the finest Chinese cuisine,
crafts and more cultural entertainment at TSB Arena. The
Festival Street Parade will also be making a highly
anticipated return on Sunday, filling Wellington’s CBD
with more fabulous colour, music and joy.
“The Chinese community are a small but important
part of Wellington, making a vital contribution to the
city’s social and economic wellbeing and prosperity. The
festival is a celebration of the efforts of the many diverse
groups and organisations who come together to deliver an
authentic celebration of the most important event in the
Chinese calendar,” says Lim.
In Chinese culture
the rat represents optimism, intelligence and energy; all of
which audiences will experience in the 2020 festival
programme, including performances by the Longjiang Arts
Troupe who will travel from Chongqing province China to
headline the festival. Packed with vibrant cultural
entertainment and activity, bursting with colour and the
inviting smells of Asian cuisine, the Chinese New Year
Festival holds something for everyone.
"We are so
proud of Chinese New Year celebrations in Wellington; our
dynamic, colourful and inclusive programme fills a vital gap
in the city, for the wider community to celebrate the
cultural diversity of Wellington and for the Chinese
community to feel at home. We are looking forward to seeing
the whole of Wellington join us to welcome in the Year of
the Rat,” says
Lim.
ENDS