Durham's Chinese New Year timings for lion dance, free crafts, music and food

The Lion Dance at a preview Lunar New Year event in Durham
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


Free children's activities, a Chinese tea ceremony and a centrepiece lion dance will be among the attractions at this year's Lunar New Year celebrations in Durham.

The annual event - this year marking the Year of the Snake - will bring the city centre alive with sound and colour this Saturday, February 1 and it will play out across several venues including the Oriental Museum and Clayport Library where there there will be craft stalls and the likes of lantern-making workshops. Food will be on sale in the Market Place and the much-loved traditional lion dance will kick off a procession through the streets.

Durham's plans for Lunar New Year - otherwise called Chinese New Year - always feature a day-long party with music, dance and community crafts from 10am until 4pm. Taking place in the city the day before Newcastle's event, Saturday's showcase of Chinese culture will include a tea ceremony at Dunelm House where Durham University students also will be performing songs and dances; displaying historic costumes from all parts of China and playing traditional instruments such as the erhu, hulusi, pipa and guzheng - a stringed instrument.

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The lion dance, which starts outside Gala Theatre in Millennium Square, is about bringing good luck for the year ahead and, to help ensure this is the case, it includes the throwing of a 'lucky lettuce' - which the mayor has the task of catching. Following the dance, which is usually accompanied by a junior lion dance team made up of local pupils, the lion then will lead a procession through the streets.

Below are the timings for the day of celebration. For details of what else is happening at the Oriental Museum, including an opportunity on February 8 to make paper lanterns to decorate the museum for its upcoming Lantern Festival, see its website here. A guide to other Chinese New Year events in the region, including Sunderland's, can be found here.

Durham's Lunar New Year 2025 celebrations

Clayport Library

10am-4pm - free drop-in activities suitable for children and adults.

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10.30am-3.30pm - Children's crafts such as lantern-making and creation of paper chain snakes plus opportunities to handle ancient objects from the Oriental Museum Collection.

12noon-2.30pm - a chance to learn some Chinese during drop-in language taster sessions with Durham University.

Lion Dance

Millennium Place, Durham Market Place and city streets

There will be food sales and information stall in the Market Place.

12.30pm - the lion dance, performed by Oceans Apart Kung Fu Club, will get under way, with the mayor trying to catch the lettuce outside Gala Durham to bring good luck in the Year of the Snake. Spectators can then follow the lion dance procession across the city and there will be further lion dances at the following locations:

12.50pm - Prince Bishops Place

1.10pm - Elvet Bridge

1.40pm - Framwellgate Bridge

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2pm - Market Place

2.20pm - Clayport Library

Oriental Museum

The museum, which houses a collection of more than 23,500 artefacts from China as well as Egypt; Korea; India and Japan, will have free entry and free activities suitable for families with children aged five to 11 years.

1pm-3pm - snaky shadow puppet-making to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Snake.

Dunelm House

This Grade II-listed building, which belongs to Durham University and houses the Students' Union, will host two shows between 11am and 2.30pm and visitors can join and leave the performances at any time.

11am - a special performance and tea ceremony. Activities including games and calligraphy will be organised by members of the Chinese Scholars and Students Association and Durham Chinese School which also will be performing the below showcase, along with the Han Fu Society.

12.30pm- 2.30pm - this is the university showcase that will feature a range of Chinese costumes and musical solos played on a variety of instruments. There also will be singing performances and dances.