'Dazzling' Chinese New Year 2026 celebrations confirmed for Liverpool - full details including parade

A ‘dazzling’ festival of sound and colour is coming to Liverpool this Lunar New Year, including fabulous parades, majestic new installations, live performances, and more.

The city will celebrate the Year of the Horse on Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22, with a host of activities and events expected to take place across the city centre.

Liverpool’s Chinatown – home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe – will once again play a major role in the celebrations, with the main celebrations taking place between 11.00am and 5.00pm on the Sunday - including the incredible dragon, lion and unicorn parade. Saturday will also offer a smaller, quieter programme of events.

Leading up to the main celebrations, the Liverpool Hung Gar Kung Fu Friendship Association, Pagoda Arts, and award-winning dance company Movema, will lead a parade through the city centre on Saturday, February 14, joined by members of the Chinese community to showcase traditional costumes and performances.

Incorporating colourful Beijing opera-style costumes and stilt walkers from Artemis Productions, the procession will start at 1.00pm from Church Alley, onto Church Street, leading on to Paradise Street in Liverpool ONE before heading to the Royal Albert Dock.

Thousands of red lanterns have already been spotted around the city centre, and some of the city’s most iconic buildings – including Liverpool Town Hall and St George’s Hall – will be illuminated red in honour of the new year.

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This year also sees the installation of two breathtaking lantern centrepieces – a majestic horse and a pair of formidable dragons have been specially commissioned by Culture Liverpool, Royal Albert Dock Liverpool, and Liverpool ONE for this year’s Chinese New Year celebrations.

Symbolising strength, prosperity and renewal, these illuminated giants have been created by The Pyro Studio and Event Design Company Ltd, the acclaimed team behind major Lunar lantern festivals across the UK.

Each sculpture has been meticulously handcrafted in Zigong, China – the global capital of traditional lantern-making – by master artisans and engineers at SC Genial Tech. Blending centuries‑old craft with cutting‑edge innovation, the team has produced an unforgettable, immersive experience designed to captivate audiences of all ages.

From February 16 to 22, the Albert Dock will also project a special Dock Shorts animation celebrating the Year of the Horse onto the façade of the Maritime Museum. Best viewed from the inner quay, the animation will run daily from 5.00pm to 10.00pm.

Liverpool Chinatown Lunar New Year 2026 programme (Sunday, February 22)

• 11.00am to 5.00pm - Chinese New Year Family Zone & Performance Stage at Great George Square. Includes workshops, street performances and more.
• 11.00am to 5.00pm - The Taste of China Sunday Street Market (Great George Street)
• 11.00am to 7.00pm - John Collins Funfairs (Great George Street & Grenville Street)
• 11.00am - Traditional Chinese Lion, Dragon & Unicorn Dance (Nelson Street & Berry Street)
• 12.00pm - Lucky Man New Year Greeting (Great George Square)
• 1.00pm - Spectacular Firecracker Display (Great George Square)
• 1.30pm - Pagoda Arts Performances (Pagoda Arts Centre)

Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, Councillor Harry Doyle, said: “Our Chinese New Year festivities are always a highlight of our calendar, and we can’t wait to celebrate once again alongside our wonderful Chinese community.

“No city welcomes the Lunar New Year quite like Liverpool, and the city will once again come alive with colour, culture, and celebration as we enter the Year of the Horse.

“With free events, beautiful installations, quiet and accessible activities, and so much more – there really is something for everyone this year.”