Music, dancing and a spectacular fireworks display will mark the arrival of the Year of the Snake at Lakeside, The University of Nottingham’s public arts centre. Local residents are invited to join the Chinese New Year celebrations at a free family-friendly event on Sunday 10 February.
Outdoor celebrations start at 4.30pm at Lakeside Arts Centre featuring traditional lion and dragon dances — performed by local schoolchildren and members of the city’s Chinese community — plus Chinese music and photography, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display over the lake at 6pm.
Celebrate across the county
A programme of events is also being held with partner organisations across Broxtowe, Gedling, Rushcliffe and Nottingham city in the build-up to the New Year.
On Saturday 9 February, Broxtowe Borough Council in partnership with the Beeston Bid, is holding a packed programme of events in Beeston Square from 10am-12.30pm, including a family procession, lantern dance, dragon mask workshop and dragon dancing.
Also on 9 February, at Arnot Hill Park in Arnold, Gedling Borough Council presents a series of Chinese-inspired arts and crafts including dragon-themed costumes, gamelan workshop and performances, lantern-making and a lantern parade.
On Sunday 10 February, families in Rushcliffe have the chance to try a range of Chinese-inspired arts and crafts activities. The event runs 2-4pm at the Sir Julien Cahn Pavilion, West Park, Loughborough Road in West Bridgford.
Full New Year’s programme
Shona Powell, Director of Lakeside at The University of Nottingham, said: “Chinese New Year has become a popular part of Nottingham’s cultural landscape in recent years. Links between China and Nottinghamshire are becoming ever stronger and we hope that this year’s event will be a fitting celebration of Spring Festival — the most widely celebrated event in the Asian calendar.”
A full programme of Nottingham’s Chinese New Year events in English and Chinese is available at http://issuu.com/lakesideartscentre/docs/cny_a5_2013_final_dual_web
Miao Embroidery
A stunning exhibition at the Wallner Gallery in the DH Lawrence Pavilion at Lakeside features visually stunning textiles which showcase the living art of the Miao ethnic minority in South-West China. The exhibition, curated by Xuesen Zeng, is on display until February 10.
Meanwhile University of Nottingham students from the Nottingham Confucius Institute, and Nottingham Chinese Students and Scholars Association, are to present a special Chinese New Year Gala at Nottingham’s Albert Hall on Sunday 24 February. The performance includes traditional and modern Chinese music, song and dance.
More information on all events is available from Lakeside at: www.lakesidearts.org.uk or by calling the Box Office on +44 (0)115 846 7777.
Lakeside: Cultural Impact is a key project within the University’s new appeal, Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, which is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. Find out more about Lakeside and how you can support us at http://tiny.cc/UoNImpact
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottinghamhas 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It was ‘one of the first to embrace a truly international approach to higher education’, according to the Sunday Times University Guide 2013. It is also one of the most popular universities among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong and the QS World Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its research into global food security.
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