Dunedin expands Chinese New Year celebration into new cultural festival
Ōtepoti Dunedin’s Chinese New Year celebrations are getting a glow up…literally.
A multi-day spectacular will be taking place in 2025 to welcome the Year of the Snake and celebrate the city’s long standing Chinese connections.
This new scaled up celebration comes just off the heels of the 30th anniversary of the Dunedin-Shanghai Sister City relationship.
The festival which takes place 26 January to 9 February expands Dunedin’s existing one day of celebration to 10 days and will see the whole city come alive as streets and businesses are adorned in Chinese lanterns, and a calendar of events kicks off.
Tourism operators like Dunedin Railways and Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden are getting involved with events such as lantern festivals, Chinese heritage train journeys, tours and more.
Stories of Chinese settlers who established their families here after the Otago Gold Rush and began businesses like market gardens and laundries will be on display as well.
Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden continues to play host to the main Chinese New Year celebrations (1 February), complete with parade, dragon dances, food trucks, cultural performances, and fireworks.
Enterprise Dunedin Destination Manager Sian Sutton says the festival is a part of a recent reimagining of events for the city alongside the Christmas in the Garden event on 30 November and the creation of the new George Street Market.
“Events like these bring value to local communities and attract visitors as they showcase Dunedin as a vibrant, diverse, welcoming city.”
Dunedin Chinese Gardens Trust Chairman Malcolm Wong says the creation of the festival is a real acknowledgement of the enduring significance of Chinese culture in Dunedin.
“The Chinese New Year period is the most important family and cultural festival for Chinese people and having the community and city coming together, not just for a day but for 10 days of celebrations for the first time, shows the special place Chinese people, culture and stories have in the fabric of the city.”
Dunedin Railways General Manager Commercial Operations Rebekah Jenkins says they’re thrilled to be a part of the expanded Chinese New Year celebrations.
“Events like this bring the city alive, creating unforgettable experiences for visitors while celebrating the rich cultural heritage that shapes our community.
“Our public train trips offer a journey through Dunedin’s history, and we’re excited to complement this with the vibrancy of the Chinese New Year festivities”.
Find more information and updates on this event here – Dunedin Chinese Cultural Festival – Ōtepoti | Dunedin New Zealand official website
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