Celebrate Chinese New Year with us on Friday 29th January!

On the 29th January 2020 Southend BID will be hosting an exciting, uplifting, and energised Chinese New Year celebration throughout the High Street. With an abundance of performers, activities, and authentic Chinese delicacies filling the area, locals and visitors alike can enjoy all that Chinese New Year symbolises. For the entire Southend BID committee, creating such an event is an honour.

Culturally, Chinese New Year is a holiday of great significance. This event is filled with countless traditions, mythology, and symbolism, making it a beloved time of year. Meanwhile, Chinese New Year is thought to bring good luck and fortune to those who celebrate it; as we have recently been awarded City status, this felt particularly fitting for Southend. With so much to look forward to, and good fortune hopefully filling 2022, Chinese New Year is the perfect event for our community to celebrate.

Throughout the day, a range of entertainers will share their talents with visitors. For example, performances will be hosted by beautiful ribbon dancers, Chinese musicians, martial artists, traditional lion dancers, and more. Key times for this event are outlined below:

A number of local schools, including King Edmunds, Darlinghurst, and Barling Magna will also be exhibiting their Chinese artwork at the event, whilst a fantastic singing performance will be held at Thorpe Hall School from 3pm.

Discussing this celebration, Southend BID Manager Ashley Oglina-Beecham says:

‘We are thrilled to have finally received City status, this is a huge achievement for Southend and is certainly long-awaited. Finding a way to celebrate our town becoming a city was therefore of the utmost importance to the entire Southend BID committee; thankfully, as Chinese New Year celebrates good fortune, happiness, tradition, and ultimately reminds us all of what’s most important, this felt like the perfect way to do so.

Our Chinese New Year event will host an array of exciting and authentic Chinese offerings; from mouth-watering cuisine to unforgettable entertainment, we really will be hosting something for everyone.

We are honoured to be helping our community better understand and celebrate Chinese New Year, an event that’s immersed in beautiful traditions and history. As we step into 2022, we feel this symbolises what our community values most and all that we can achieve.’