Chinese New Year Manchester 2017

Creative Tourist

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Chinese New Year in Manchester 2017

26-29 January 2017

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

The Lanterns of the Terracotta Warriors
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In 2017 we’re saying goodbye to the year of the Monkey and hello to the year of the Rooster (more specifically the Fire Rooster), a sign that represents people who are ‘trustworthy’ and have ‘a strong sense of timekeeping and responsibility’. While that might not sound like the recipe for a party, you’d be wrong: there are lots of festive spectacles going on across the city, with this year promising to be Manchester’s biggest Chinese New Year celebration to date, whether you’re being dazzled by the terracotta warriors, tantalised by the tasty cuisine or simply soaking up the atmosphere.

The city centre will be painted red as the streets are lined with thousands of Chinese lanterns and buildings light up in celebration of the festivities. A 50ft Golden Dragon will call Greengate Square its home for the weekend while The Travelling Light Circus’ roving parade of dancers, drummers, a stiltwalker and giant rooster will weave their way through the city’s shopping streets.

Other highlights include the traditional lion dancers, shopping events at some of the city’s top stores, including Selfidges, and family craft events at Manchester Arndale and the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art.

Where to go near Chinese New Year Manchester 2017

Blackburn
Hotel
Northcote Hotel

Northcote’s luxury hotel perfectly matches its Michelin-star restaurant, nestled in the Ribble Valley hills on the edge of the Forest of Bowland.

Medlock Square
Manchester
Event venue
Medlock Square

Medlock Square is a new £300m entertainment complex betwixt the Etihad Stadium and Co-op Live, with Zadie’s, Little Beast, a hotel, market hall and more.

Zadie's
Manchester
Restaurant
Zadie’s

Italo-Japanese plates and razzle-dazzle glamour at Medlock Square. Featuring live acts, a space-age bar and a bird’s-eye view onto the Manchester City pitch.

Grafton Arms
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Grafton Arms

Grafton Arms has undergone an impressive revamp. The Eagle Inn team have turned this traditional pub into a standout live venue and drinking destination.

Proloco
Manchester
Restaurant
Proloco

Honest Crust’s Richard Carver and Rainy Heart’s Dan Hope join forces at Proloco, a music-led Ancoats restaurant serving 18-inch pizzas and seasonal plates.

City Centre
Restaurant
GiGi Gusto Griglia

GiGi is a lavish Italian restaurant just off Deansgate, with 1950s décor and a menu that sticks to the classics.

Blackburn
Restaurant
Northcote

Northcote’s Michelin-starred restaurant is the jewel in the crown of the Ribble Valley. We get a first look at the new autumnal menu.

Cumbria
Restaurant
Pentonbridge Inn

Pentonbridge Inn is a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms in north Cumbria. Eight courses of bunkum-free fine dining from head chef Chris Archer.

Manchester
Restaurant
Dahlia Stereo

Dahlia Stereo is a Latin American-inspired open-fire kitchen and bar off the Northern Quarter’s Stevenson Square, with a pitch perfect soundsystem.

Balance Taproom
Manchester
Restaurant
Balance Taproom

Manchester has a glut of taprooms, and Balance Brewing’s is far and away the best. Drinks, decor, service – all a cut above.

Richard Hards ‘Strangeways’
Manchester
Gallery
Moon Grove

A Georgian front room in Rusholme houses Moon Grove, an independent gallery with an unusually ambitious international programme.

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