SPECTACULAR pole lion dancing, firecrackers, Chinese horoscope reading, a giant 20-metre artwork and bright and bold decorations are set to takeover Parramatta for Lunar New Year next month.
Parramatta will celebrate the Year of the Snake on Saturday 1 February 2025 from 4-9pm with traditional workshops, cultural activities and plenty of mouthwatering food and tasty drinks at both Centenary and Parramatta Square.
This year’s highlights also include K-pop workshops by the Korean Cultural Centre, tea ceremony and tasting, SMASH character roving performances and mahjong and Chinese calligraphy workshops.
City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Martin Zaiter said Parramatta’s Lunar New Year celebrations have become a much-loved tradition that gets bigger and better every year.
“Parramatta is the cultural heart of Greater Sydney and I am proud of how our community comes together to celebrate our diversity,” Cr Zaiter said.
“This year we’re doubling our performance stages and programming to include more activities with over 15,000 people expected to join us.
“The Year of the Snake symbolises transformation, ambition and wisdom which is very fitting for an emerging global City like Parramatta.”
‘The Laundry Line’, a mega 20-metre-long feature artwork of bold and colourful hanging flags and ornamental lanterns created by Western Sydney artist, Chris Yee will be the centrepiece at Parramatta Square and represents Asian-Australian communities and a ‘third culture’ shaped by traditional family culture and a suburban childhood.
Artist Chris Yee said his artwork symbolises his childhood growing up in Western Sydney while paying homage to his heritage and culture.
“Growing up in Eastwood, we had many different cultures celebrate Lunar New Year so I hope my artwork resonates with the wider community through story, humour and vivid colour,” Mr Yee said.
“The artwork installation is a series of original graphic flags that at first glance the artwork installation looks quite traditional but upon closer inspection, reflect themes of local suburbs, mimicking the look of hanging clothes in a backyard, like a classic suburban Sydney upbringing.”
Centenary Square will turn into foodie central, with 15 street food stalls offering everything from cheeky fortune cookies, dumplings, hand-pulled noodles, barbeque skewers, boba, sugarcane juice and more traditional snacks to satisfy all the sweet and savoury cravings.
Welcome good luck and fortune at the wishing tree and interactive altar installation at PHIVE and try your luck at the Games Containers with prizes to be won.
The local library branches will also hold Lunar New Year workshops including dumpling making, food and tea tasting, paper lantern making and bilingual children’s story time from 23 January to 5 February.
For more information and the full Lunar New Year program, visit www.atparramatta.com
