This weekend sees the return of the fantastic Chinese New Year celebrations in Manchester, when our very own Chinatown (and a decent chunk of our city centre) becomes alive with dragons, fireworks, lion dancers, food stalls and festive cheer!

There’s Lucky, the golden Dragon perched in Saint Anne’s Square for the weekend, and there’s a parade from Albert Square to Chinatown which starts at 12:30pm on Sunday and is led by a gigantic 175-foot dragon and a Chinese drumming band.

Yes, it’s the most important weekend of the year for our Chinese community, and they are celebrating the arrival of the year of the Rat – ushering in a year of sharp wits and being sneaky.

It’s all scheduled to culminate with a finale of spectacular fireworks in Chinatown at 6pm on Sunday, when the sky will sparkle.

New this year is the ‘illuminated dragon dance’ which will be taking place at 5:30pm, 6:30pm and 7:30pm on Friday and Saturday, with a final performance at 5:30pm on Sunday, just before the fireworks.

If you’re in Manchester this weekend, why not get involved?! :)