Liverpool Year of the Horse celebrations announced
- Catherine Jones
- 8 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Liverpool will mark Year of the Horse with events and activities this month including performances, parades and two huge lantern installations.
The Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, officially begins on February 17 for 2026, with celebrations taking place in Liverpool’s Chinatown on February 21 and 22.
Ahead of that, from February 14 onwards, thousands of red lanterns will return to Liverpool streets around Chinatown, Liverpool ONE and the Royal Albert Dock, while key city landmarks, including St George’s Hall and the Town Hall, will be lit up in red.
And on Saturday, February 14, Liverpool Hung Gar Kung Fu Friendship Association, Pagoda Arts, and award-winning dance company Movema will lead a procession through the city centre, joined by members of the Chinese community, to showcase traditional costumes and performances.
The procession, which includes Beijing opera-style costumes and stilt walkers from Artemis Productions, will start at 1pm from Church Alley before making its way to Church Street, Paradise Street and the Royal Albert Dock.
And new for this year are two lantern sculptures - a horse and a pair of dragons – which have been commissioned by Culture Liverpool, Royal Albert Dock Liverpool, and Liverpool ONE from The Pyro Studio and Event Design Company Ltd and handcrafted in Zigong, the Chinese capital of lantern making.
Then on February 21-22 Chinatown will host a programme of events, with the main action taking place from 11am to 5pm on Sunday, February 22 when visitors will be able to enjoy feature family workshops, Tai Chi demonstrations, live music, street theatre, unique stage performances, a fairground, and food and craft stalls, plus firecracker displays and traditional dragon, lion, and unicorn parades.
Year of the Horse 2026 celebrations are organised by Culture Liverpool in partnership with Liverpool Chinese Business Association and with support from Liverpool ONE, the Royal Albert Dock and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
More details on all the events and activities HERE
Top: Photo by Tommy Wong