Chinese New Year 2022 is on the horizon, and as always, Manchester has a whole week of celebrations lined up to mark the occasion.
While Manchester’s usual annual celebrations for Chinese New Year – also known as Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival – may be on a slightly smaller scale this year due to the COVID restrictions in place to allow visitors to safely enjoy the events, there’s still plenty happening across the city centre to help bring in the ‘Year of the Tiger’.
Chinese New Year is officially being celebrated in Manchester this year from Tuesday 1 – Sunday 6 February.
As mentioned, 2022 has been named the ‘Year of the Tiger’, and according to the Chinese zodiac, people born in this year are predicted to be brave, competitive, unpredictable, and confident – just like the animal.
To honour 2022’s animal namesake, a large-scale tiger art sculpture will take centre stage in St Ann’s Square as just one the events in the calendar.
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You may have also seen that thousands of red lanterns have started adorning the city’s streets, and you can also expect the chance to take in some spectacular live performances, feast on authentic street food, and a make the most of a funfair, plus some traditional lion and dragon dances over the course of the week too.
Here’s everything happening for Chinese New Year 2022 in Manchester.
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Chinese New Year is being celebrated in Manchester from Tuesday 1 – Sunday 6 February / Credit: Instagram (@chinesenewyearmcr)
The New Year Tiger
St Ann’s Square
Tuesday 1 – Sunday 6 February 2022
New for 2022, commissioned by Manchester BID, and created by Decordia Events, this jaw-dropping installation will be a structural take on the traditional tiger made from wood and recycled corrugated plastic.
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While we know that the tiger is a symbol of power in Chinese culture and is considered to be brave and forceful, this origami-like tiger sculpture, however, will give the ultimate illusion to those who lay their eyes on it, as it appears to be weak and made of paper, but in fact, it will remain tall and strong for the world to see.
The tiger’s inner structure will also playfully-match the stripes and markings of a real-life tiger, casting stunning shadows at night with surrounding lights.
Chinatown Celebrations
Chinatown
Sunday 6 February 2022
The iconic Chinatown arch in Manchester city centre / Credit: Visit Manchester
While sadly, popular annual events such as the parade and the firework finale will not be taking place in 2022 due to COVID restrictions, there’s still plenty to make the most of in Manchester city centre’s very-own Chinatown.
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Think live performances, workshops, street food, stalls, and a funfair, as well as the illuminated Dragon, and other family-friendly activities such as traditional lion dances, Chinese acrobatics, singing, poem reading, and Kung Fu.
Performances will take place from 11am – 7pm in Chinatown Car Park, and you can see the illuminated dragon on the hour from 4pm – 7pm in Chinatown itself.
It’s asked that you please wear a mask when possible at all Chinatown events.
The Door Opened: 1980s China
Manchester Central Library
26 January – 26 April 2022
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The Door Opened: 1980s China at Manchester Central Library, with photographs by Adrian Bradshaw / Credit: Manchester Central Library
Brought to Manchester Central Library by the Confucius Institute at The University of Manchester, from 26 January – 26 April, English photographer Adrian Bradshaw’s exhibition The Door Opened: 1980s China will feature a blend of candid and posed photographs exploring China in the 1980s.
Bradshaw went to Beijing as a student in 1984 just as everyday life was in flux, and caught up in the ferment of the time, he went on to spend three decades documenting the transformation of China as the vast nation changed and opened up to the world.
Photographs captured document everything from opulent fashion extravaganzas, to sentimental family excursions, as he captures the fleeting beauty and simplicity of everyday life.
It’s described as a vivid record of a pivotal period in modern history.
In the latest astronomical phenomenon to hit Britain and beyond in recent times, a rare ‘Strawberry Moon’ is set to appear once again in UK skies tonight, and you don’t want to miss it.
Put it this way: if you didn’t catch it last night, you won’t get another chance for nearly two decades.
The event only happens approximately every 18.6 years and will be the lowest it’s appeared above our part of the world that its been since 2006.
But for those who’ve never even heard of this, you might be wondering what exactly a Strawberry Moon is. We’re no experts, but this should just about fill you in.
Strawberry Moon 2025 – explained
Look up tonight for something sweet!
The full Strawberry Moon, named by the Algonquin tribes for the time of year that berries ripen, will take to the night skies on June 10-11. pic.twitter.com/GKr41bGUUV
Put in simplest terms, a Strawberry Moon occurs when the Moon reaches the extremes of its northernmost and southernmost rising and setting points on the horizon, creating a striking standstill impression to the human eye.
The name itself derives from native American culture and, in the case of June’s full Moon, it is dubbed as such not only because of its reddish hue but because it aligns with the start of summer and the beginning of strawberry harvest season.
Colliding with the summer solstice – with said standstill sometimes referred to as a ‘lunicstice’ – the moon will give more of an orange glow rather than pink or red like actual strawberries, but it’s nevertheless a stunning sight. It was already clocked across various parts of the globe since Monday:
— Veronica in the Fens 🧚🏼♀️ My Heart in Nature (@VeronicaJoPo) June 10, 2025
Why so low, moon-face?
As for why it’s going to loom so low over our skies this evening, UK archaeologist and historian Jennifer Wexler explained to BBC’s Sky At Night Magazine: “Over several years, the limits of moonrise and moonset themselves gradually change, until they reach the point where the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset positions are at their maximum distance apart on the horizon…
“Once a major standstill is reached, the distance between northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset can be exceptionally far apart, and it stays that way for around two years.”
With all that in mind, this particular full Moon (10-11 June, 2025) will be the lowest full Moon in the sky for nearly two whole decades and won’t occur again until 2043, hence why so many have taken an interest in trying to catch it.
Speaking of…
When and where is best to see the Strawberry Moon in the UK?
Now, we won’t lie to you, Greater Manchester isn’t necessarily the best-placed area to see the upcoming Strawberry Moon in its full glory this Wednesday; the weather forecast has it that the skies are clearest right up at the top of England, as well as south-west Scotland.
However, provided there isn’t too much cloud coverage, it should still be visible across most regions, including the North West.
The moon is expected to rise around 9:30pm tonight, with the best window to see it appearing within the next hour or so following this period. It may not be as bright and bold as it appeared in some parts of the country on Tuesday, but it’ll still be something to behold.
In terms of what else meteorologists have said about the rest of this week, the weather is looking a bit all over the place, we’re afraid.
Louisiana fried chicken chain Popeyes is set to giveaway 10,000 free hash browns across its Manchester locations.
Manchester may be known for rain, but this time, it’s not those little murky raindrops that will be falling into our hands, instead it’s the holy grail of the carb world – hash browns.
Once the madness of Parklife this weekend has been and gone, I don’t think anyone could’ve come up with a better solution for a two-day, dance-ridden, drink-fuelled weekender, than a lorry load of free Popeyes cajun hash browns.
Popeyes is known for serving up lots of tasty treats, including a range of signature sauces like ‘Bold BBQ’, ‘Garlic Parm’, and ‘Buffalo’.
Popeyes is giving away 10,000 FREE hash browns in Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group
Alongside putting Louisiana on the map thanks to its delicious chicken varieties, Popeyes is also known for its spice-infused sides, which are famously covered in cajun seasoning, and the hash brown is one of the best of them.
Popeyes’ cajun hash browns are taking centre stage across Parklife weekend, as from Saturday 14 June through to Monday 16 June, 10,000 of these glorious golden treats will be given away for free as Manchester celebrates its biggest festival.
“We know Parklife is one of the biggest weekends in the Manchester calendar,” commented Dave Hoskins, who is the Head of Food at Popeyes UK, “and being just down the road from the action, we wanted to help festivalgoers start their day right”.
Whether their cajun hash browns are your go-to breakfast feast, or you’re after your first taste of the Popeyes menu, then make to visit any of the two Manchester Popeyes sites, download thee app, and get there before 10am.
Anyone after sampling these breakfast breadwinners can do so by downloading Popeyes official app and registering for an account by 11:59pm on Friday 13 June 2025 HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
18th January 2022 
