Local organisations in Kent have come together to prepare for one of the largest Chinese New Year parades in the UK, to celebrate the year of dragon.
The festival will provide street food, markets and live performances in Chatham high street and will mark the first year that Nucleus Arts will participate in the celebrations.
They have invited local community groups to the studio to make traditional Chinese lanterns, models are covered in tissue paper which is then decorated with unique designs.
Some of the lanterns read “恭喜发财” and “吉祥如意” to send wishes of wealthy and luck to everyone.
Chief Executive of Nucleus Arts, David Stokes says they hope to boost cultural interactions and feel excited to launch more similar events.
He said: “The Chinese New Year celebrations in Chatham is always a real highlight of the year, and we have a lot of families come to us saying how much they’ve missed it, and how much they wish it will be back because it brought communities together or the communities together.
The Funding stream comes available it’s called …Fund and we was thinking how to access the money and bring communities together and bring back that much loved parade to Medway. We really looking forward for it’s coming can finger cross it will be a good weather.”
Nucleus Arts have collaborated with Dance Alley in preparation of the celebrations in this Saturday’s Chinese New Year parade and performances.
Dance Alley have been involved with the Chinese New Year events for over twenty-five years and this year they will be performing Tibetan, Parasol and Tambourine dances.
Kut-O Chinese Association is the main organizer of this event. They have been celebrating Chinese New Year in Kent since early nineteen eightys.
They have spent thousands of pounds on the procession this year which will feature a brand-new fifty-foot-long dragon, aside from other smaller ones and fish lanterns. People will wear different costumes such as empire or other Chinese traditional clothes.
There will also be some floats which are kindly donated by Chancheng Foshan local government.
On the day, Kut-o will bring Chinese dragon dance, lion dance and martial arts to the public and other Chinese vibe equipments.
Vice chairman of the association, Chi-Kwong Yau hopes to educate and promote Chinese culture as well as reduce conflicts between other cultures.
He said: “I feel happy and excited you know it’s a big event we are doing, it’s Chinese new year, time to enjoy, everyone’s looking forward to it, it’s a very vibrant occasion, so we hope everyone to have fun on that day. So it’s a good thing at the end of the day, getting everyone together and everyone will be friends.”
The celebration will take place in Chatham high street and throughout Pentagon shopping centre and is the go-to place for those in Kent looking to celebrate the Chinese New Year this year.