Cohesion Plus working in partnership with Maidstone Cultural Group and Maidstone Borough Council have arranged Chinese New Year celebrations for the Year of the Tiger, which will take place in the county town on Saturday 5th February between 11am and 1.30pm with performances taking place on Jubilee Square and Week Street.
“After a gap of 1 year, we are delighted to be producing a celebration for the Chinese New Year, working with Maidstone Cultural Group and Maidstone Borough Council. We believe it is important that events like these take place in the County Town of Kent showcasing how arts and culture can not only bring communities together but also drive footfall in the urban town centres and public spaces. We have always had good support for this particular event and we hope that this year is no exception.”
Gurvinder Sandher the Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus
The celebrations will start at 11am outside the Old Town Hall where the dotting of the eyes ceremony will take place to waken the Chinese Lions, before they lead a procession through the town centre.
The ceremony will be conducted by the Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Faye Gooch alongside representatives from the local Chinese community. In addition there will also be performances from the London Chinese Opera Studio and SOAS Chinese Music Ensemble.
Maidstone Borough Council has recently been allocated funding from the Welcome Back Fund, part of £56 million provided to councils across England from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to support the safe return to high streets and help build back better from the pandemic.
It builds on the £50 million Reopening High Streets Safely Fund (RHSSF) allocated to councils in 2020 and forms part of the wider support government is providing to communities and businesses. A share of this money has been used to fund the Chinese New Year celebrations.
