Lunar New Year celebrations are returning to Hanley’s cultural quarter this February, as the city celebrates the Chinese year of the horse with a full day of events and activities.
The free-of-charge celebrations take place on Sunday 22 February in the Spitfire Gallery at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery as well as Smithfield, City Central Library and Mitchell Arts Centre.
The event will feature traditional music and dance, including dragon and lion performances, alongside kung fu displays, mask changing, acrobatics and firecrackers.
Visitors will also be able to take part in Chinese craft sessions, circus skills workshops and hands-on activities.
The celebrations come as The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery continues its multi-million-pound transformation, part of a £5m masterplan supported by Arts Council England’s Cultural Development Fund.
“Lunar New Year is always hugely popular in Stoke-on-Trent, so it’s great that we can bring these celebrations back to the city centre this year,” said Cllr Sarah Hill, cabinet member at Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
“We have strong cultural links with China through our ceramics heritage and our partnership with Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital.
“This event is a chance to celebrate those connections and share Chinese traditions with residents and visitors.”
She added: “It’s also a celebration of our city’s diversity and creativity.
“Lunar New Year is recognised by UNESCO as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage and it fits perfectly with our ambition to become a UNESCO creative city.”
The event will run from 11am to 4pm on Sunday 22 February. It is free of charge, although a small charge will apply for the clay activity.
More information is available on the museum’s website.
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