Lunar Chinese New Year 2024 ✨
Welcome the Lunar Chinese New Year in Sheffield ciity centre with joy and prosperity as we celebrate the Year of the Dragon 🐉
About the festival
Sheffield is gearing up for its annual Lunar Chinese New Year celebrations, traditionally a fundraising event for The Children's Hospital Charity which has been running for many years.
Once again the Charity will mark the Lunar Chinese New Year by lighting up a 5-metre dragon (Friday 9 February) at the Children's Hospital. The display is part of a wider Sheffield celebration welcoming the Year of the Dragon, which includes a (ticketed) celebration evening at the University of Sheffield’s Octagon Centre (Saturday 10 February), and a fundraising banquet for The Children's Hospital Charity at local restaurant China Red (Tuesday 13 February).
For details about the Octagon Centre and China Red events please email enquiries@sheffieldbid.com.
A new element for 2024
This year there's a major addition to the programme with a centrepiece weekend of outdoor entertainment.
The Peace Garden Parade begins on Saturday 10 February. The main entertainment programme is on Sunday 11 February with dragon dancing and much, much more!
City centre events for all the family
Peace Garden Parade
📅 Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 February
🕢 10am - 6pm
Over 30 stalls will take over the Peace Gardens, with amazing cuisine, art and more.
There will be a variety of local food outlets serving street food including Let’s Sushi, China Red, Zurul Malaysian Cafe and Ages Ago Bar & BBQ. You'll also find the Fancy Filly Bar in the Peace Gardens and various traders from Chinese supermarkets to cultural giftware.
There'll be children’s rides plus arts and crafts with The Confucius Institute from Sheffield Hallam University - you'll find them in the pagodas on Pinstone Street.
The main entertainment is planned for Sunday 11 February, starting from around 12 noon with the Lord Mayor' speech at Town Hall Square followed by the Parade from Town Hall Square to the Peace Gardens. Here there's a full stage line up of entertainment including a Dragon Dance and stage show performances such as Panda Paradise Acrobatic fun, the Whirling Diabolo Extravaganza and many cultural performances.
The Sheffield Lion Dance Team's traditional tour of Sheffield city centre is on Sunday 11 February. Starting from Ages Ago BBQ & Bar at West One at 12 noon, they'll make their way to the Peace Gardens via West Street and Division Street, before continuing on to The Moor, New Era Square and London Road. You can follow their route via Google Maps here.
The overall festival is spearheaded by Jerry Cheung at New Era Development Ltd, and assisted by Kelvin Quick of China Red, among others, and brings Eastern culture to the heart of Sheffield with food, music and dragon dancing.
The Peace Garden Parade is supported by Sheffield BID and Sheffield City Council.
As the Lunar New Year celebrations coincide with half term, there's plenty of additional city centre fun for all the family. Read on to find out more!
Lunar New Year Trail: the Dragon is missing 🐉
A new augmented reality trail arrives in Sheffield city centre...for one week only!
📅 From Saturday 10 to Friday 16 February
Join intrepid heroes Ollie and Izzy on this new city centre visitor trail 🗺️
The Lunar Chinese New Year dragon has gone missing and we need your help to find it. You'll have to go on a globe-trotting journey, tracing the footprints of 10 magical characters. They might know where the dragon is, but they won’t give up their information easily!
Get active this half term, explore the city centre and…
🧩 Discover more about Lunar Chinese New Year and complete mini-challenges before…
📲 the magical characters reveal themselves in augmented reality…
🔟 you’ll visit 10 locations (details below) and you can visit them in any order…
🤳 taking selfies and making videos with them along the way…
📖 before you can download a free prize ebook at the end of the trail and also collect a special reward from the Sheffield BID visitor hub on Surrey Street. More on that below 🌟
How it works
It's easy to take part.
You just need a mobile device such as a smartphone (Android and iOS supported). There is no printed map. Just read the instructions online, visit all 10 stops - in any order - and scan the QR codes on the posters in the windows.
Once you’ve visited all of the stops you can take your prize badge selfie and download a free ebook as a momento. And if you visit the Sheffield BID visitor hub on Surrey Street, you'll also walk away with a special end of trail reward.
This is a great opportunity to get out and about and get active exploring Sheffield city centre. It's also an opportunity to learn more about the Lunar Chinese New Year.
10 locations
The 10 locations you'll need to visit as part of the trail are:
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Ryman, The Moor
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The Entertainer, The Moor
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Clarks, The Moor
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The Light Cinema, The Moor
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Monki, Pinstone Street
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Nisbets, Furnival Gate
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Costa Coffee, Orchard Square
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Waterstones, Orchard Square
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Lush, Fargate
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Sheffield BID visitor hub, Surrey Street
💡 Whatever order you visit the 10 character locations, we recommend you visit the Sheffield BID visitor hub (on Surrey Street) last to ensure you claim your end of trail reward.
🚦 When you're ready to start your quest click here.
Children's University 🎓
The Lunar New Year Trail is eligible for Children's University passport to learning credits. Simply ask a member of the team at the Sheffield BID visitor hub on Surrey Street 👇
📅 Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 February
Not one to miss out on the action, our lovable family mascot Brearley Bear is back with a special limited edition Collectibles card 🧧
For those that took part in Brearley Bear's Christmas Collectibles, here's another chance to add to your trading card collection with a very special Year of the Dragon Collectible card.
With only 500 cards available this is sure to be a prized Collectible for all our young Brearley fans.
This limited edition card is available only on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 February (whilst stocks last!) from our unit on Surrey Street (next to the Winter Garden).
🏢 Visitor Hub
📅 From Saturday 10 to Friday 16 February
Our visitor hub on Surrey Street (next to the Winter Garden) is open for the duration of half term from Saturday 10 to Friday 16 February, between 10am and 5pm (11am - 4pm on Sunday 11 February).
If you need any help with the Lunar New Year trail just call in, we'll be very happy to help.
As part of the wider Lunar Chinese New Year Festival, we are collecting for The Children's Hospital Charity. If you would like to make a donation, please call in and see us.
🎁 Win the contents of our Year of the Dragon hamper!
📅 From Saturday 10 to Friday 16 February
We're running a special raffle with all proceeds going to The Children's Hospital Charity.
Raffle tickets cost £5 for three and can be purchased from the visitor hub on Surrey Street (next to the Winter Garden). One lucky winner will win the contents of our themed city centre hamper worth over £750.
Terms and conditions apply - see instore at our visitor hub on Surrey Street or download them here:
The prize includes:
- A three-course meal for four at local restaurant China Red.
- A luxury pamper set from Lush to ignite your 'Inner Dragon', featuring limited-edition products from the retailer's Lunar New Year collection.
- A beautiful Chinese New Year Dragon plush.
- LEGO's NINJAGO Dragons Rising gift set courtesy of The Entertainer.
- Authentic Chinese Tea luxury gift set.
- Akashi Tai Tokubetsu Honjozo Sake.
Plus, a £500 Sheffield City Centre Gift Card redeemable at over 80 city centre venues and stores.
There are also two runner-up prizes of a £100 Sheffield City Centre Gift Card.
All raffle proceeds go to The Children's Hospital Charity.
We look forward to seeing you all in Sheffield city centre!
Photo credit (front cover): Tim Dennell