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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
Major immersive experience narrated by Sir David Attenborough to open at Chester Zoo
Daisy Jackson
A major immersive experience narrated by Sir David Attenborough is heading north for the first time, with Our Story with David Attenborough set to open at Chester Zoo this autumn.
The acclaimed production will arrive at the zoo on 17 October 2026, making Chester Zoo the first venue outside London to host the full original experience following its hugely successful run at the Natural History Museum.
More than 245,000 people have already experienced Our Story during its London run, which originally opened in June 2025 before being extended following a string of sell-out performances.
Created in collaboration with Sir David Attenborough and award-winning Open Planet Studios, the 50-minute immersive experience takes audiences on a spectacular journey through the four-billion-year story of Earth, alongside the much more recent story of humankind.
Rather than simply watching a film or walking through an exhibition, visitors are surrounded by the story, with extraordinary natural history footage, scientifically accurate animation and 360-degree projections filling walls and floors around them.
The production explores the interconnected stories of people and planet, looking at humanity’s profound impact on Earth while also considering how we can work with nature rather than against it.
Narrated by Sir David, whose lifetime of exploring and documenting the natural world has helped shape the experience, Our Story ends on a message of hope, leaving audiences with the sense that they can play a part in deciding what comes next.
The full original-scale version of the experience will take over Chester Zoo’s former Ape House, marking the first time audiences outside London will be able to experience it in its entirety.
Bringing Our Story to Chester also closely aligns with the zoo’s mission to prevent extinction, as well as its work as a conservation and education charity.
Our Story with David Attenborough is coming to Chester Zoo. Credit: Trustees of the Natural History Museum
Dom Strange, Chief Operating Officer, at Chester Zoo, said: “Our Story is about the biggest story there is – the story of our planet and our place within it.
“That makes Chester Zoo a natural home for this extraordinary experience. We’re hugely excited to bring it to Chester, and particularly proud that we’re the first place outside London where people can experience the full exhibition.
“We want people to leave feeling inspired by the incredible world we’re part of – but also empowered to play their own role in protecting it. That’s at the heart of everything we do at Chester Zoo.”
Open Planet Studios developed Our Story with David Attenborough to immerse audiences in what its creators describe as “the biggest story of all time” – the interconnected story of people and planet.
Our Story with David Attenborough is coming to Chester Zoo. Credit: Trustees of the Natural History Museum
The original experience at the Natural History Museum featured 17 projectors and 50 speakers, combining natural history cinematography, animation, storytelling and an original score by Tony Award- and Olivier Award-nominated composer Nick Powell.
Dr Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum, said: “Our Story with David Attenborough has been one of the museum’s most successful experiences, immersing audiences in a wonderous exploration into our relationship with planet Earth.
“The museum’s mission is to create advocates for our planet and we and Open Planet Studios are keen to take the experience to as many people as possible. We are delighted that Chester Zoo is joining us on that journey to share this cinematic story with their visitors.”
Our Story with David Attenborough will open at Chester Zoo on 17 October 2026. Tickets are £15 but you’ll need to have a zoo ticket already too – you can find out more HERE.
Chester Zoo’s spectacular light trail returns this winter with a new route and new animals for 2026
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo’s popular winter light trail is set to return with a redesigned route and some magical new animals for 2026.
Produced by Chester Zoo in partnership with Sony Music and Culture Creative, Lanterns & Light has become a popular fixture in the region’s festive calendar over the years, and it’s back this winter – transforming the zoo after dark with thousands of festive lights, colour, and wildlife-themed displays.
The 2026 trail has been redesigned with some exciting new installations, including the dazzling Suspended Jellyfish underwater display, a mirrored disco tunnel, a glittering pea-lit canopy, and Floating Feathers.
New for this year too, visitors will also get to encounter parrots, dolphins, and a giant polar bear among an expanded cast of life-sized animal puppets, all brought to life by specialist performers.
More than 140,000 people visited the trail last year, but for the first time ever in 2026, the event will also host two adults-only evenings, one on 19 November and another 8 December – giving grown-ups the chance to enjoy the trail without children.
Alongside the new additions, plenty of much-loved features will return too, including the walk-through Cathedral of Light and atmospheric Fire Garden, as well as the chance to meet Father Christmas in a snowy setting.
Visitors can also enjoy marshmallow fire pits, festive food, and warming drinks, alongside a funfair at the entrance.
But Lanterns & Light isn’t just about Christmas, as every ticket purchased helps fund Chester Zoo’s vital conservation work, supporting projects protecting threatened wildlife and restoring habitats in more than 20 countries around the world.
“Lanterns & Light is a chance to have a brilliant night out, but it also helps us do something much bigger,” explained Gemma Wright, who is the Head of Guest Experience at Chester Zoo.
“Every ticket helps support Chester Zoo’s work to prevent extinction, from protecting threatened wildlife in the places where it lives to caring for and breeding endangered species here at the zoo.
“So, while our visitors are enjoying the lights, puppets and festive atmosphere, they’re helping to give wildlife a brighter future too.”
Emily Sergeant -
18th January 2022 
