Chinese Lantern Festival
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The 11th Auckland Lantern Festival, organised by Asia:NZ in partnership with Auckland City Council, takes place in downtown Albert Park on 26-28 February 2010.
It will be followed a week later on 6-7 March by the sixth Chinese New Year Lantern Festival in Christchurch’s Victoria Square.
The Lantern Festival is traditionally held on the 15th day of Chinese Lunar New Year. Preparations are being finalised for the two festivals, which attracted record crowds in both cities in 2009.
► Lantern Festival Schools Programme
► Chinese Lantern Festival 2009
Each year Asia:NZ commissions new lanterns from our lantern-maker in Zigong in the western Chinese province of Sichuan. These are shipped from Shanghai by sponsor COSCO (New Zealand) Ltd. We also bring in performers from different areas of China with the assistance of sponsor Cathay Pacific. Our core sponsor for the Festivals is HSBC.
2010 - Year of the Tiger
In pride of place at both Festivals in 2010 will be our tiger lantern, marking the new Year of the Tiger in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac.
The Tiger is a sign of courage, revered in the old days as the sign that wards off the three main disasters of a household: fire, thieves and ghosts. People born in the Year of the Tiger are said to natural leaders, intelligent, alert and far sighted. Other tiger years are: 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998.
If you're interested in finding out more about how you can volunteer for the festival, or if you would like to get involved as a stallholder or performer, contact:
- Auckland City Council - 09 379 2020 or if you are volunteering at the Auckland Lantern Festival please complete the online volunteer registration form.
- Christchurch - Catherine Lister - 03 379 9307 or fullmoonnzltd@xtra.co.nz
Latest News
NEW: Lantern artist celebrates birds
A master of this ancient craft, Taiwanese award-winning lantern artist Wang Chen-Wen will share his 20 years’ experience at the Lantern Festival.
NEW: Mongolian throat-singing crowd pleasers
The internationally acclaimed Hanggai folk band from China’s Inner Mongolia blends Mongolian folk music with more contemporary influences.
“Moon” to light up Lantern Festival
One of the highlights of this year’s Lantern Festivals in Auckland and Christchurch will be performances by top Shanghai musical ensemble.
NEW: Rolling lanterns defeat pirates
This year’s Lantern Festivals will feature an 800-year-old Rolling Lantern folk dance from south China that served to frighten off pirates in the old days.
NEW: Artist celebrates Chinese identity in New Zealand
Multi-media artist Mu Yuming will take part in the Chinese Lantern Festival in Christchurch with two projects celebrating Chinese identity in New Zealand.
NEW: Papercutting from the heart
Liu and her daughter are spending two weeks from February 8-18 as artists in residence at the Christchurch Arts Centre, taking workshops in paper cutting.
Background
What is the Chinese Lantern Festival all about? Click here to find out.
2009 - the Year of the Ox
2008 - the Year of the Rat
