London holds grand Chinese new year celebration

London hosts on Sunday the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside Asia, attracting tens of thousands of people heading to areas around Chinatown to share the joy.

Festivities began with a two-hour long Grand Parade featuring the largest gathering of over 50 Chinese Dragon and Lion teams through the streets from Trafalgar Square, via West End before reaching its final destination Chinatown.

Stage performance "Cultures of China, Festival of Spring" in Trafalgar Square was the highlight of the celebration, featuring a spectacular gravity-defying lion dance on a pair of high poles, acrobatics and musical performances by the China Railway Art Troupe, the Chinese National Symphony Orchestra, the Wuhan Acrobatic Troupe and the Chinese Air Force Art Troupe.

The theme for the celebration this year is "Celebrating the Golden Era for UK-China Relations", emphasising the friendship and beneficial collaboration between the two countries.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who was among the audience in Trafalga Square, said, "Chinese New Year is always a joyous time in the city's cultural calendar. Trafalgar Square is once again filled with brilliant live music, delicious food and great entertainment for all the family."

"London is open to all people and all communities. That's why I'm so proud of the Chinese New Year festivities here in the capital, which are the largest of their kind outside of China and entertain hundreds of thousands of Londoners from all communities, as well as visitors to our city," he added.