Birmingham gears up to usher in the Year of the Rabbit

Jan. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- "Following the success of recent celebrations in Birmingham to mark the Chinese New Year, the Festival of 2011 promises to be even bigger and better. The Festival of 2010 saw record crowds descend upon the Arcadian Centre. Mesmerising acrobatic and cultural performances made it truly a great day out for all the family - especially as it was all provided free of charge.

Birmingham’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Len Gregory and Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby will be on hand to mark the start of the Celebration by performing the traditional Ceremony of Dotting the Dragon's eyes. The celebrations will start with a bang, with an extravagant dragon and lion dance closely followed by Fire Crackers. Acrobatic and cultural displays will fill the rest of the programme, and there is sure to be something for everyone. There will be more stalls than ever which visitors can browse at their leisure throughout the day as a result of the closure of Hurst Street, and for the first time there will be a giant screen so visitors can continue following the action onstage while browsing the stalls. Another new addition will be a spectacular Firework Finale complete with traditional Fire Crackers at the end of the day.

Festival Committee Chairman, Jeffrey Yap said "As proven by previous years, the Celebration here in Birmingham is by no means confined to the Chinese Community. We warmly welcome all members of the public to join in the fun and enjoy celebrating one of the oldest celebrated festivals in the world. Thanks to the involvement of our main sponsor, Lebara Mobile, and new silver sponsor Circus Casinos we have been able to put on an even bigger and better show for the people of Birmingham."

Birmingham’s Chinese New Year Festival, sponsored by Lebara Mobile, is organised by the Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee (BCFC), and is free to the public thanks to the co-operation of our Corporate and Municipal partners. Lebara Mobile’s UK Managing Director, Russell Atkinson, said, “We are delighted to be associated with the Chinese New Year festivities taking place across London, Birmingham and Manchester.  Engaging directly with our customers has always been a key part of our success and Chinese New Year offers us the opportunity to do exactly that. We extend Chinese New Year greetings to all our customers.” Our new silver sponsor this year is Circus Casino, and other partners include: Birmingham City Council (Leisure and Tourism), The Arcadian Centre, Ibis Hotels (Birmingham City Centre) and Midland Linen Services.

The aims of the BCFC are to organise, develop, and maintain the Chinese New Year Festivities in Birmingham to a standard which reflects the high level of interest the wider community in the Midlands have for Chinese culture. The Committee also strives to promote Chinese culture through organising performances at other events, such as Birmingham's Artsfest."

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Note to Editors:
1. When publishing stories about the above event online, please provide a link to our official website: http://www.cnybirmingham.org.uk
2. Chinese New Year’s Day falls on 3 February 2011.
3. Press requiring accreditation for access to the venue on the day should contact pr@cnybirmingham.org.uk

The Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee (UK) is a voluntary, non-profit making organisation dedicated solely to the organisation of Chinese New Year Festivities in Birmingham.

The Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee is a voluntary, non-profit making organisation. It's membership comprises of:

Birmingham Chinatown Lions Club
Birmingham Chinese Women's Association
Birmingham Chinese Society
Birmingham Overseas Chinese Association School
Arcadian Centre Management
Birmingham City Council (Leisure and Tourism Dept.)
Chinese Community Centre Birmingham