Lunar New Year celebrations are set to fire up at Bankstown and Campsie as record crowds are expected to welcome in the Year of the Snake.
Festivities include traditional lion dancing, a dragon and drumming parade, the God and Goddess of fortune handing out lucky red envelopes and a spectacular firecracker display.
There will also be a number of immersive cultural experiences which have been put together by the Vietnamese Cultural Preservation Group.
Group member Trong Ho, who volunteers at the Lunar New Year Garden and Cultural Hut, moved to Australia in 1980 and has watched how Lunar New Year has evolved and is embraced by many Australians.
The Yagoona local fondly recalls the vibrant flowers, bonsais and fruit baskets which filled the streets of Vietnam during this time of year, a feeling that his Vietnamese Cultural Preservation Group now recreates at the Bankstown Lunar New Year Festival.
“I’m so happy to see the celebrations getting bigger and bigger every year, it reminds me of home” Mr Ho said.
“We welcome everyone to come and visit our Lunar New Year Garden at the festival, take a photo and share in this special time with us.”
From its humble beginnings in 2006, the Bankstown Lunar New Year Festival has grown with more than 13,000 people attending last year.
And this year the event is expected to be bigger than ever, with festivities kicking off on Saturday 18 January at Griffith Park and Olympic Parade, Bankstown, from 4-9pm.
There’s plenty to keep the kids entertained with free face painting, craft workshops and garden games.
There’ll also be an array of authentic Asian cuisines including delicious dumplings, teppanyaki noodles and Japanese okonomiyaki pizzas.
Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Bilal El-Hayek said Lunar New Year is an important event on the City’s calendar.
“It represents a beautiful fusion of our Chinese and Vietnamese communities and it is only fitting that we join them in ringing in the Year of the Snake,” Mayor El-Hayek said.
“I encourage everyone to come along and discover what the New Year has in store for you. And make sure you get yourself a lucky red envelope!”
Mr Ho said that for the Vietnamese community, the snake symbolises wisdom and diligence.
“We believe this year will bring a lot of luck with relationships and opportunities for a lot of people!”
Council will also mark the end of Lunar New Year with the Campsie Lantern Festival on Saturday 8 February.
The Lantern Festival will see Campsie’s Anzac Mall and Anzac Park lit up with a sea of lanterns and filled with an array of Asian cuisines, cultural entertainment and free kids’ activities.
For more information about Council’s Lunar New Year festivities, visit wih.city/LunarNewYear
This event is proudly sponsored by Bankstown Sports Club, Western Union, Montessori Academy, Montessori Care and SBS.