Due to the construction works for the light rail in George Street, the Chinese and other Asian communities have been unable to hold their dazzling lantern parade complete with lion dancing and communal dance troupes.
So what to do?! In a Vivid like display the twelve illuminated Chinese signs of the Zodiac which would normally be atop floats, were now displayed around Circular Quay.
As this is the Year Of The Dog, this Zodiac sign representation took pride of place by the Sydney Opera House.
Lion dancing took place in the Haymarket area and Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour was filled with market stalls, anima figures which lit up at night, and live performances of ethnic dancing.
Nearby, at Darling Harbour, the traditional dragon boat races were fiercely contested. Winners of these races, which are also contested at venues around Australia, go on to compete at the world dragon boat races competition held in Szeged, Hungary. At times, there seemed to be more race participants than the many spectators.
The Chinese and other communal dance groups performed on a beautifully lit stage at First Fleet Park, Circular Quay.
This year, the Chinese New Year fell on Friday 16 February.
Although this year’s Festival was highly successful, one hopes that the traditional lantern parade will return in the near future.
All pics by Ben Apfelbaum (c).
