NewcastleGateshead welcomes Chinese Year of the Sheep

After the spectacular New Year’s Eve celebrations on the Newcastle quayside last year that saw tens of thousands of people welcome in the year of Rugby World Cup 2015, it’s now the turn of NewcastleGateshead’s Chinese community to welcome Chinese New Year and the Year of the Sheep. Thousands of people are expected in and around Chinatown, Newcastle, for a day of free Chinese events and performances for all the family, including traditional crafts, dance, music and food and drink.  The popular dragon and lion dances will once again animate the area around the ceremonial Chinese arch on Stowell Street. The free festivities commence at 11:00 and run until 16:00, with the dragon and lion dances starting at approximately 12:30. Carol Bell, Head of Culture and Major Events at NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said: “We are fortunate to have a thriving Chinese community here in NewcastleGateshead, it’s one of the things that makes us such a special destination. The annual Chinese New Year celebrations give everyone the opportunity to share in the cultures and traditions of this special day in the Chinese calendar. “What I really love about the event in Newcastle is how inclusive it is, there really is something for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Chinese community opens its doors to thousands of people in what will be another fantastic day of for all the family.” Other events and activities taking place on Sunday 22 February include; a Chinese market, fairground and a special children’s marquee offering a range of traditional Chinese arts and crafts, (Bath Lane & Thornton Square), Chinese zodiac, calligraphy, calendar making and fortune telling (The Chinese Centre, Westgate Road). The wider Chinese New Year festival programme offers additional events and activities in the weeks leading up to the festivities on Sunday 22 February. The Discovery Museum hosts two days of Chinese inspired arts and crafts on Tuesday 17 and Thursday 19 February. Dr Chun-Chao leads a four-week Chinese Brush Painting Course at Newcastle Arts Centre from Saturday 21 February and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art welcomes children, young people and their families to make and animate their very own Chinese dragon, with a little help from BALTIC artists, on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 February. The Chinese New Year festival programme has received support from the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University, a joint venture between Newcastle and Xiamen University, China, that promotes Chinese language and culture through teaching programmes and cultural exchanges.  For more information about the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University, visit www.ncl.ac.uk/sml/confucius For full details of all the events taking place during NewcastleGateshead’s Chinese New Year celebrations, please visit www.NewcastleGateshead.com/ChineseNewYear