Willoughby City Council, on the lower North Shore of Sydney, has announced the program for the fourth edition of the Chatswood Lunar New Year Festival celebrating The Year of the Tiger. Featuring comedy, art, music, performance, food, and traditional cultural celebrations, the 2022 festival will be the most vibrant to date, running from Thursday 27 January until Sunday 20 February. Spanning across multiple Chatswood locations, the events showcase the cultures of China, Vietnam, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
The cultural delights on offer include traditional festivities, as well as opportunities to celebrate through the best contemporary culture, including a one-night-only Lunar New Year Comedy Festival on 12 February at The Concourse. The lineup will feature some of Australia’s funniest Asian-Australian comedians such as Lawrence Leung, Alex Lee, Michael Hing, Annie Louey, Diana Nguyen and Harry Jun.Throughout the Festival, a diverse musical program will create a lively atmosphere. From 10 – 13 February, The Concourse outdoor space will come alive with Chatswood Tiger Beats, a free outdoor concert series with a popup bar, featuring some of the best Asian-Australian pop, RnB, and electronic artists, including Rainbow Chan, Lucy Sugerman, and Yeo. Meanwhile, for classical music lovers, a pocket-sized one-hour version of the classic Mozart opera The Magic Flute directed by Peter Coleman-Wright AO will be performed on Saturday 19 February by Pacific Opera and Willoughby Symphony Orchestra in the Concert Hall at The Concourse. An evening of orchestral music merging East and West will take place on 5 February at the Lunar New Year Concert.
Quality art will be showcased at several exhibitions across Chatswood from 27 January – 20 February, including the unveiling of a major new installation by acclaimed artist Simone Chua from Amigo and Amigo of a mother tiger and her four cubs in The Concourse Reflection Pool. At The Incinerator, The World that Feels Warm, curated by Guan Wei, will feature work by artists such as Tracey Moffatt, Tim Johnson, Owen Leong, Ginger Jingzhe Li, and Huajie Zhang. At the Art Space on the Concourse, Parallel Wanderings will present work by Australian artists with Chinese cultural roots exploring Chinese landscape traditions through sculpture, photography, installation, and performance art.
Every Thursday and Friday throughout the Festival, The Golden Market will transform Chatswood Mall. A traditional market akin to those found in cities across Asia to celebrate the New Year, it will feature stalls offering Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Japanese food, as well as Lunar New Year decorations and gifts.
To mark the start of Chinese New Year, a Celebration Day on 5 February at The Concourse will be one of Sydney’s largest Lunar New Year celebrations. Festivities on the day will include Chinese Opera, K-pop, traditional dance, and Lunar New Year delicacies.
The finest of Chatswood’s Asian eateries will also celebrate through a Food Trail, mapped out to highlight the remarkable Asian cuisine in the area, curated by respected food writer Lee Tran Lam.
Willoughby City Council CEO, Debra Just said: “I’m excited to announce Chatswood’s Lunar New Year Festival will again delight with Asian culture, entertainment, art, and delicacies. This vibrant celebration showcases emerging and established Asian-Australian artists, performers, and creatives while highlighting the huge range of dining options offered by Chatswood. Providing fun for all ages, the Chatswood Year of the Tiger Festival is a great way to celebrate the diversity of our city.”
Go to www.visitchatswood.com.au/lny for more information on the Chatswood Year of the Tiger Festival, as well as booking, and ticketing details.
The Chatswood Year of the Tiger festival is staged thanks to key partnerships with local businesses, media sponsors, and with the support of the Australia China Institute for Arts and Culture, the Chinese Cultural Centre, SBS, Western Sydney University, and Chatswood Culture Bites.