Where to celebrate Chinese New Year 2019 in London

Cheer on the Chinese New Year parade

Far from being a low-key affair, Chinese New Year celebrations in London’s West End are the biggest outside of Asia. The festivities begin with the Chinese New Year parade, a colourful whirlwind of dragon and lion dances that makes its way from Charing Cross Road into Chinatown.

Crowds can then make their way down to Trafalgar Square where a thanksgiving ceremony, followed by firecrackers, speeches and the Lions’ Eye-Dotting Ceremony is held. The entertainment continues into the afternoon with more dragon and lion dances, acrobatics, interactive dance sessions and performances of Chinese music. All the while, stalls serving Chinese street food line the square, refuelling peckish revellers. Those who stick around for the finale will see Trafalgar Square lit up by a pyrotechnic display.

Eat dumplings at the trendiest new restaurant in town

Taiwanese restaurant chain Din Tai Fung has had London’s foodie crowd dizzy with excitement and queuing for hours at its new Covent Garden outpost. Despite its roots in Taiwan, the original Din Tai Fung was actually established by a young Chinese immigrant and it’s the restaurant’s exquisit Shanghainese soup dumplings (xiao long bao) and regional Chinese street food that have made it a success across the globe.

What better time to introduce yourself to top-notch Chinese cuisine than at Chinese New Year? Tip: Head to Din Tai Fung on a weekday lunchtime to avoid the worst of the queues. If you’re not one for standing in line for your food, fear not: nearby Chinatown is bursting with restaurants – and half the fun is taking a punt on whichever one looks most appealing as you pass through.

Immerse yourself in a digital tour of Chinatown

Chinese Arts Now is an organisation that celebrates British-Chinese stories through a myriad of art forms. Its annual festival, Chinese Arts Now Festival, falls directly before Chinese New Year: taking place from 19 January – 2 February. A highlight of the festival this year is Augmented Chinatown, a tour through the streets of Chinatown led by artist Donald Shek.

Through combining video installation and digital sculptures with facts and anecdotes, Shek explains the history of the area, exploring themes of identity, cultural symbolism and myth. Spanning the creation of its buildings with Chinese mythology in mind, to its role in the Chinese community today, Augmented Chinatown is a thorough exploration of the area’s past, present and future. The tour is available via the iPhone app.

Learn about the culture through Chinese cinema

Head to BFI Southbank where Chinese Visual Festival (CVF) is showcasing some of the highlights of recent Chinese language cinema. The films being screened have been chosen for their breadth, spanning a range of different subject matters – from the lives of villagers in a Chinese mountain village to the moving stories of three teenagers growing up in different economic and social environments. Award-winning titles on the line-up include the UK premiere of Hong Kong box office hit Men on the Dragon and the documentary A Way Out.