Happy Rooster Year, Brisbane! (鸡年快乐)

“Wishing you luck in the Year of the Rooster!”
祝您鸡年大吉

Chinese New Year, which is also known as the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year, is approaching; and as one of the most exciting events on the calendar, there’s no doubt how it is starting to become a BIG thing in Brisbane – and most especially in Sunnybank – now!  The streets are now being filled with festive programs and lots and lots of Chinese New Year decorations such as Chinese lanterns and any other vibrant displays, including multiple studio shots of red envelopes with money. There are fun workshops and live performances that you, your family and friends can try and go to! Most of all, delicious (street) foods are everywhere in the plaza; so if you’re having cravings here and there, then now is the time to visit the multitude of authentic Asian eateries.

In addition to that, the Chinese New Year itself will be basically an explosion of exciting celebrations! Numbers of people will surely be wearing their colorful costumes, as they sing and dance their way through the Lunar New Year. Of course, the Chinese Lion Dance, martial arts (Kung Fu), Tai Chi, dragon parades, tea ceremonies, Beijing Opera singing, Chinese chess competitions, Chinese calligraphy, and a few of folk and bamboo dances are also some of the traditional and cultural festivities that would be held during this period. The streets will market arts and crafts, and there will also be kite making activities, Chinese puppetry or puppet shows, acrobatics and illusionists to entertain the children. Firecrackers and fireworks will be launched, too!

Furthermore, the above events are heralding specifically in the Year of the Rooster – the Red Fire Chicken. Don’t worry though; if you want to check out a clear timetable of these expected activities and entertainment, here we’ve compiled a list of the best places and programs to ring in the Year of the Rooster!

Chinese New Year Celebrations at Cornerstone Living

You will enjoy:

– performances by the celebrated Tom Lo Lion Dance Team

– kite making

– Chinese lion puppet show

– Sumptuous Asian street food

Date/Time & Venue:
28 Jan, 2017 1:00PM – 28 Jan, 2017 3:00PM
Cornerstone Living, 88 Troughton Road, Sunnybank, 4109

Cost: This is a free event.
Who should attend: All ages family event.

Technicolour Chinese New Year Night Market

Multicultural Community Centre invites you to celebrate the first Technicolour Chinese New Year Night Market this 11th February at DiverCiti Centre, Newmarket. In Chinese tradition, this date marks the Lantern Festival and the last day of Chinese New Year celebrations.

Let’s welcome together the year of the rooster with a free entry event dressed in red and gold. Join us and enjoy delicious Asian cuisine, crafts, lion dance and traditional Chinese musical performances, cooking and martial arts demonstrations, calligraphy, and other spectacular activities!

Come along with your family and little ones, as there will be lots of fun activities for them, such as face painting, games, photo booth and more.

Join us and experience with your family and friends the most important celebration in the Chinese calendar.

Cost: This is a free event.
Who should attend: All ages family event.

Kids Activities At DFO Jindalee Chinese New Year

Celebrate the Chinese New Year at DFO Jindalee!

Join the festivities as we welcome the Year of the Rooster with entertainment for the whole family.
Parents and shoppers enjoy Dragon Dances while children get creative at our Chinese Lantern-making workshops.

Date/Time & Venue:
Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd January
10-2 Kids craft – lantern making
1pm – Dragon Dances

Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th January
10-2 Kids craft – lantern making
1:30 Dragon Dances

Cost: Free admission.
Who should attend: This event is suited for all ages.

Chinese Lunar New Year 2017

Get involved in the festivities with lion dancers, fire shows, traditional music, cultural performances, Asian market stalls, interactive workshops, roving street performers and a special Chinese New Year Parade.

2017 is the Year of the Rooster, following the Year of the Monkey in 2016. Celebrating the most important day in the Chinese and Asian calendar and attended by hundreds of people each year, the Chinese Lunar New Year festival will offer the chance to discover more about the many Asian cultures in Brisbane and enjoy the cultural diversity of Fortitude Valley.

Date/Time & Venue:
28 January 2017, 5pm – 10pm | 29 Jan 2017 12pm-5pm
Chinatown Mall, Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley

Cost: This is a free event.
Who should attend: All ages family event.

Chinese Ribbon Dancers @ Chinese Lunar New Year 2017

Raspberry Carousel Stilt Walking Entertainment presents the Oriental Flower Princess and the Lotus Flower Stilt Walking Acts as part of the 2017 Chinese Lunar New Year Celebrations. The acts are adorned in flowers and long flowing colours. They bring good fortune, longevity and happiness for 2017!

Date/Time & Venue:
Saturday, 28 January 2017, 6 – 6:30pm
Chinatown Mall, 33 Duncan St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

Cost: This is a free event.
Who should attend: This event is suited for all ages.

Oriental Princesses Roving Stilt Performers @ Chinese Lunar New Year 2017

Date/Time & Venue:
Saturday, January 28, 2017, 5:45 – 6:15pm
Saturday, January 28, 2017, 6:45 – 7:15pm
Sunday, January 29, 2017, 1 – 1:30pm
Chinatown Mall, Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley QLD

Cost: This is a free event.
Who should attend: All ages family event.

Traditional Lion on Trestles @ Chinese Lunar New Year 2017

Enjoy a traditional Lion performance. A young lion cub finds itself trapped amongst a mountain of obstacles and does not know how to return. The Lion looks for the lost young cub and upon saving the young cub, finds there is also a nice treat nearby.

Date/Time & Venue:
Saturday, 28 January 2017, 5 – 5:30pm
Chinatown Mall, 33 Duncan St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

Cost: This is a free event.
Who should attend: All ages family event.

Fire Cracker Show @ Chinese Lunar New Year 2017

Come and gather for a firecracker display in the middle of the Chinatown Mall, to scare off evil spirits and celebrate the coming of the New Year!

Date/Time & Venue:
Saturday, 28 January 2017, 6:30 – 6:40pm
Chinatown Mall, 33 Duncan St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

Cost: This is a free event.
Who should attend: All ages family event.

LED Roving Lions @ Chinese Lunar New Year 2017

Meet the dazzling LED lions as they roam the mall, allowing prosperity and good fortune to flow in for the New Year!

Date/Time & Venue:
Saturday, 28 January 2017, 8 – 8:30pm
Chinatown Mall, 33 Duncan St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

Cost: This is a free event.
Who should attend: All ages family event.

Fiesta Creations Fire Show @ Chinese Lunar New Year 2017

Fiesta have redefined the iconic art of fire twirling, by serving up a contemporary cultural fusion of unforgettable Fire Shows that arrest your attention and leave you in awe. Ladies and Gentlemen, prepare to be charmed by the sensationally sassy, sought after and skilled – fiery feminine phenomenon – Fiesta!!

Date/Time & Venue:
Saturday, January 28, 2017, 7 – 7:30pm
Saturday, January 28, 2017, 8:40 – 9pm
Chinatown Mall, 33 Duncan St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

Cost: This is a free event.
Who should attend: This event is suited for all ages.

Queensland Symphony Orchestra – Year of the Rooster

QSO continues its annual tradition celebrating Chinese New Year — in 2017, The Year of the Rooster!
We invite friends of the QSO, the Chinese community and the whole of Brisbane to join us for a magnificent program that features a blend of Chinese music and great western masterworks.

Conductor: Dane Lam
Piano: Piers Lane
Violin: Zoe Black

Cost: Please visit site for more details.
Who should attend: This event is open to everyone.

Moreton Bay Region Lunar New Year

Moreton Bay Region Lunar New Year once again hosts a packed program celebrating the Chinese New Year!
On Saturday, 4th February, visit Caboolture Town Square from 4pm – 8pm to experience Asian culture and entertainment.

This amazing program will feature traditional music and dance, mouth-watering traditional Asian food, Chinese Dragons, cultural displays, activities and workshops. This is a free event for the whole family. Come along to help us welcome the Year of the Rooster!

Cost: Free
Who should attend: This event is open to everyone.

Judy Chan Dance Group

Judy Chan Group Dance teaches Chinese, Cultural, Jazz, and Line Dance. Enjoy a beautiful and traditional dance performance to celebrate the New Year.

Date/Time & Venue:
Saturday, 28 January 2017, 7:30 – 8pm
Chinatown Mall, 33 Duncan St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

Cost: Admission is free.
Who should attend: All ages family event.

Lion Dance & Kung-Fu Demonstration

The mall will come alive with a traditional Chinese Lion Dance and Kung Fu demonstration. The Lion Dance is performed accompanied by the music of beating drums synchronising to the lion dance movements and actions.

Date/Time & Venue:
Saturday, 28 January 2017, 6:40 – 7pm
Chinatown Mall, 33 Duncan St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

Cost: This is a free event.
Who should attend: All ages family event.

Voices for Harmony International

Voices for Harmony International is conducted by Ms Vian Lin and is one of the first young musician programs that aims to provide a stage for artists who come from a multicultural background. Members of this program are finalists from such shows as The Voice of China and Australia’s got Talent. Currently the team has more than 16 singers, instrumentalists and dancers.

Date/Time & Venue:
Saturday, 28 January 2017, 8 – 8:30pm
Chinatown Mall, 33 Duncan St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

Cost: This is a free event.
Who should attend: This event is suited for all ages.

MELT 2017

MELT is an invitation to celebrate Brisbane’s wonderfully diverse queer communities. It’s a special time to reflect on the struggles we face and the achievements we have won together. And it’s a time to party!

Brisbane’s LGBTI+ voice is loud and clear, bursting with pride, humour, humanity, and rebellion. The community is bounding towards equality in many vital aspects of life and MELT is a vehicle for these leaps.

The invitation is extended to citizens of all genders, sexual orientations, ages, ethnicities, abilities and artistic interests. The celebration is one of love.

Date/Time & Venue: 
Wednesday, 25 January – Sunday, 5 February
Brisbane Powerhouse

BrisAsia Festival 2017

BrisAsia Festival showcases traditional and contemporary Asian arts and cultural events.

Now in its fifth year, the festival is held over three weeks from Friday 27 January-Sunday 19 February 2017 with more than 80 events across the city.

Enjoy Chinese Lunar New Year, Kisaragi-Sai, food discovery tours and more.

Date/Time & Venue: 
Friday, 27 January – Sunday, 19 February
Various locations across Brisbane

Lunar Wish Installation – Live @ The Pod

Join the Lunar New Year celebrations with a series of live events at The Pod in Brunswick Street Mall. During the BrisAsia Festival, The Pod will be buzzing with a program of free workshops, performances, and pop-up exhibitions.

Come along and watch as the Lunar Wish art installation decorates The Pod with symbols of prosperity, health and happiness. You are invited to make a wish or resolution and add it to the installation.

Lunar New Year Papercutting Workshop – Live @ The Pod

Join the Lunar New Year celebrations during BrisAsia Festival with a series of workshops, performances, and pop-up exhibitions at The Pod in Brunswick Street Mall.

Make your own papercut artwork celebrating Year of the Rooster at The Pod. Artist Elysha Rei she will show the ancient Asian art of paper cutting. You can create your very own cut-out cards, rooster puppet or paper decoration at this free drop-in workshop.

Date/Time & Venue:
Saturday, 28 January | 6 – 9pm
Brunswick Street Mall

To know how to get there, please visit Translink as your guide to public transport timetables, fares and accessible transport.