With over 10,000 residents in Melbourne speaking a Chinese language at home, it is no wonder that the annual Chinese New Year Festival attracts thousands of exhilarated festivalgoers, who come to celebrate the dawn of a new year. With colourful floats, dancing and singing from Chinese Opera to karaoke, the Chinese New Year Festival offers an eclectic mix of Chinese culture. With attractions for young and old, visitors can enjoy stage performances, numerous culinary stalls, calligraphy demonstrations and lion dances, all culminating in an anticipated countdown to the New Year. Afterwards, festivities continue and by touching the traditional dragon, which is paraded down the streets of Chinatown, new fortunes and prosperity can be evoked.

Venue: Various

Date: 2013 dates TBA

Website: www.australianchinesenewyear.com.au