Sydney will welcome the Year of The Tiger with a roar and an exciting Sydney Lunar New Year festival across the city from 29 January to 13 February.
From Haymarket to The Rocks and from Cockle Bay to the city centre, we’re lining the city with larger-than-life lunar lanterns and transforming our streets into outdoor galleries.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the diverse program will celebrate Sydney’s creative talent, fabulous food, culture and community.
“At the heart of our celebrations this year is a strong desire to give Sydneysiders something to celebrate and give our local businesses an opportunity to bounce back, especially in Chinatown, where local restaurants continue to suffer the economic fallout of the Covid pandemic,” the Lord Mayor said.
Sydney’s youngest artists will take centre stage as our star designers this year. In Chinese folklore, tigers are the guardians of children. To mark the Year of the Tiger, the City of Sydney has drawn on young talent to create the Sydney Lunar Festival artwork with a design competition that attracted more than 1,250 entries.
6 designs were selected and the colourful artworks of Anja, 11, Chloe, 10, Katie, 9, Amber, 9, William, 8, and Ruisi, 6, are featured on street banners, bus shelters and billboards to brighten the city streets like never before.
2 designs have also been transformed into lunar lanterns, big mouth tiger by Ruisi and tiger roll by Chloe, which will stand guard at the Sydney Town Hall steps.
The 2022 Sydney Lunar Festival attractions also include:
- Lunar Lanes outdoor event in Chinatown on Saturday 29 January from 5pm to 10pm, with live entertainment, roving performers, food trucks, DJs and lion dancing
- Welcome to Koreatown, a 1-night street festival in Wilmot Street, celebrating local culture, food and artists on Saturday 12 February from 5pm to 11pm
- 23 illuminated lunar lanterns representing the 12 animals of the zodiac on display along George Street and in Chinatown from Saturday 29 January to Sunday 13 February
- the Lunar Spectacular Show featuring community performers bringing Sydney Town Hall to life on Saturday 12 February
- the city’s streets turned into a giant art gallery with banners featuring the work of 5 local Asian-Australian artists, who share what the Year of the Tiger means for them in their artworks
- the famed dragon boat races, back for a spectacular weekend of competition in Darling Harbour’s Cockle Bay on Saturday 5 February and Sunday 6 February
- a new Year of the Water Tiger artwork by local artist Susan Chen, transforming Dixon Street Mall
- roving street performers and lion dancers taking to the streets of the city and Chinatown
- 100 Good Wishes quilt installation in Chinatown inspired by a Chinese tradition with artworks created by Sydney children
- 3 handpainted lunar gateways on Alfred Street celebrating Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese traditional architecture.
You can see events, dining specials and entertainment to mark the Lunar New Year and Year of the Tiger on the City of Sydney’s What’s On website.
We strongly urge people attending our events to be vaccinated, wear a mask, use QR codes and practise safe distancing. If you’re feeling unwell, please stay home.
Published 28 January 2022
