Chinese New Year In Birmingham

At the weekend we took the children to see the Chinese New Year celebrations in Birmingham. We’ve never been and it was to be unlike anything the kids had ever seen, so Boo was really looking forward to it.

It takes place each year at Southside, around the Arcadian centre in Birmingham city centre. This year it’s the Year of the Goat, and there was a full day of events lined up, including dancing, martial arts displays, Tai Chi, singing, and Kung Fu, culminating with a fireworks display. The streets were lined with reminders and little stalls were set up as some of the area was closed off to traffic, too..

cny birmingham

The children enjoyed wandering around, taking it all in. We’ve not taken them to this area of the city before, so they were very curious. Unfortunately, shortly after we arrived, so did the rain and it did not let up. Meaning it was tricky to see the stage above the throngs of umbrellas, and hard to take some photos, too. I managed a couple..

#CNYBirmingham 2

#CNYBirmingham 6

And both Little Man and Boo loved watching the Lion Dance. Boo’s actually been imitating it every since and I think this was the stand-out moment of the day for them both. As you can see from the photo, there was a big crowd for this, lending itself to a great atmosphere, in spite of the weather…

#CNYBirmingham Lion Dance

The rain got the better of us in the end, though, and despite popping in and out of places to dry off, including the nearby Bull Ring (a trip to the Disney Store is always on our agenda if we’re in Birmingham!), we decided to call it a day…

boo at cny

As you can see, Boo did not want to leave at all, but you can probably also see that it was absolutely pouring down, and I didn’t really want to keep the kids standing around it in any more. A real shame, as they were both fascinated and enthralled by it all. Definitely one to visit again next year, and hopefully it’ll stay dry!

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Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

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14 thoughts on “Chinese New Year In Birmingham”

  1. Looks impressive. It’s great that Boo didn’t want to leave despite the bad weather. I’m of Malaysian-Chinese heritage so I have a natural interest in teaching our kids about Chinese New Year and we went into London as usual this year, but it’s great that so many cities put on events like this to broaden people’s horizons.

    1. It really is, and I loved seeing how absorbed the kids were in all that was going on. Definitely something we’ll want to do again. Glad you all enjoyed it, too.

  2. Looks like a lovely way to celebrate – I would love to visit our local celebrations in Newcastle however they always fall on the day I’m working! Something to look forward to in retirement! LOL x #countrykids

  3. This is what I miss, events like this, there’s nothing like this anywhere near us. The nearest is probably Exeter or Truro. The kids obviously loved it, in spite the rain! Love the last photo of Boo, so cute! #countrykids.

  4. What a fab way to spend a day, I’ve always thought it’d be great to take my lot to one of the Chinese new year celebrations but there aren’t any that close to us. I can see by Boo’s face that even in the pouring rain there was a great atmosphere that helped you enjoy your day. Thanks for linking up with Country Kids.

  5. Kung Hey Fat Choi! Wishing you all a healthy and happy year of the sheep! So glad you all got to go out and celebrate Chinese New Year – even though the rain hampered your fun. It’s a great day out for the family and one I remember with great fondness. The firecrackers used to scare me! Hope you get to go back next year and the rain holds off. It was awful down in London too!

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