Sydney Chinese New Year 2017 – Top 7 Family Experiences
One of our first family outings after moving to Sydney was the Lunar New Year parade. We loved the colorful parade floats, and the crowds remained manageable. With roadworks in the CBD disrupting the route, the festival really exploded. Sydney has activities and installations across the city both day and night, including amazing lanterns and food. To help you prioritize, here are the top 7 family experiences we plan to see during Sydney Chinese New Year 2017.
Chinatown Markets
The Chinatown Markets both excite and intimidate us. Sometimes it feels like a game of Russian Roulette to pick a steam bun at one stall versus another – will we get lucky with a succulent pork filling and crispy wrapper? Food will be the highlight, but there will also be street performances and palpable excitement in the city’s Asian hub.
The markets run daily from 4 to 11pm, and if you time it right, you will see the lion dance (see below)!
Chinatown Lion Dance
The Chinatown Lion Dance is not the only lion dance in town. However, this main event includes firecrackers and atmosphere. The lion dance is a tradition extending back in time over 1,000 years, and like most of the celebrations, the goal is a prosperous year. The red fire crackers scare away any bad fortune from the previous year, ensuring a prosperous new one.
There are two performances each night at 6:00pm and 6:30pm in Chinatown, Thursday through Sunday, starting the January 27th, and ending Sunday, February 12th.
For New Year’s Day, January 28th, lion dances will run from 12 noon until 4pm, replacing the evening show.
The Pentatonic Rooster
The rooster looks incredible! Although I am a little biased because I just want to strike the gong. 🙂 The rooster is a mix of traditional Chinese instruments, with beak flutes, cymbals for a head, and, most importantly, a gong body.
It is a collaborative sculpture created by an award-winning composer, Andrew Zhou, and his mother Tianli Zu. We are all excited about this one, and look forward to Tianli’s other exhibits and talks throughout the festival.
You will find this on Dixon Street in Haymarket throughout the entire festival!
Lunar Lantern Community Performance Program
This community performance was surprisingly entertaining last year. It definitely contributed to the failure of our planned lunar lantern walk. CZ was a bit too excited for sleeping in the stroller. Billed as the heart of the festival, these performances take place at Customs House and Martin Place.
The performances include a mix of traditional and modern dance that includes everything from wushu to arial dance stunts.
Customs House – Fridays & Saturdays at 6pm & 7pm
Martin Place – Fridays & Saturdays at 7pm & 8pm
** There is a special “Massaoke,” karaoke en masse from 5pm to 7pm on the 3rd and 4th of February.
Lunar Lanterns
This is billed as a top pick for family, although we caution that it depends on age and sleep schedule. We saw more than a couple meltdowns last year. If the timing works out though, it is an incredible spectacle to behold. They bathe the Opera House red light, and the lantern sculptures are always impressive. One item of note this year, more of the lanterns are clustered at Circular Quay, which means less walking. You can witness several sculptures with a simple stroll around Sydney’s most iconic location, before catching a train home. They have all of the zodiac symbols lined up from the Opera House along the Quay to Dawes point.
The lanterns are on display nightly for the duration of the festival.
What’s In a Surname – Portrait Exhibition – Lunch Date
This photography exhibit looks pretty cool, and fits nicely with mine and EZ’s commitment for more parents-only time. We tentatively scheduled launch date to see the portraits. The photographer, Ken Leanfore, received inspiration from his own surname. Not unlike those who passed through Ellis Island in the US, many Australians live with anglicized versions of their surname. Leanfore was actually his great-great-grandfather’s first name, Lean-Fore.
The exhibit is in Gallery Klei at Albion Place, a little cut-through between George and Kent in the CBD between Liverpool St and Town Hall.
Art Gallery of NSW
The Art Gallery of NSW also features several events for adults and children. Two that look interesting to us include:
Sundays, Jan 29, Feb 5 & Feb 12 – 11am-4pm Drop in and make: Rooster headdress
Sunday, Feb 5 – 11am & 12pm – Workshop: Papercutting with artist Tianli Zu
The second event is with the artist responsible for multiple lunar lanterns, including the pentatonic rooster from above.
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[…] on the enthusiasm level. The garden offers two free daily tours, and lots of additional events for Chinese New Years. For slightly older children, you can rent imperial costumes and take your own photos for an […]