City Chinese New Year festival axed due to Covid

CELEBRATIONS to mark the Chinese New Year in Birmingham have been forced online again by Covid.

Tuesday, February 1 will see the official start of the Year of the Tiger.

Before the pandemic, there were usually major celebrations in Birmingham, including a main event in the Chinatown area of Southside around the Arcadian Centre. But these have been scrapped again.

A spokesman for the Chinese Festival Committee Birmingham said: “After receiving many messages asking us about our

2022 Chinese New Year plans, we will be putting our celebrations online again from Birmingham’s Chinatown.

“Unfortunately, due to the new variant of Covid-19, Omicron, we do not want to risk public safety by bringing the festival to the streets of Birmingham.

“Instead, we hope to celebrate Chinese New Year with an online celebration on Saturday, February 5 at 5pm.

“We want the very best for our community and after much deliberation, we decided for the safety of the public that we would not be able to perform an in-person event.

“Instead, we will shoot content from all of our venues and organisations to bring the event to your homes.

“Southside will still be open during this time so please take the time to visit Chinatown and enjoy the great food and venues it has to offer.

“Who knows, you may even spot some tigers and dancing lions along the way. Please invite your friends and family as we welcome the Year of the Tiger.”

The Birmingham celebrations will run from 5pm to 7pm on Saturday, February 5, via the festival committee’s Facebook page.

It is the weekend after the start of Chinese New Year across the world officially begins on Tuesday, February 1.