Lancaster Chinese New Year Festival 2026

The environment

Our project supported environmental aims by keeping the event city-centre based, making it easy for people to attend without needing to drive. By hosting the festival in Lancaster city centre—close to public transport links and walkable areas—we reduced the need for car travel compared with an out-of-town venue. In our public communications, we encouraged audiences to travel by public transport, walk, or cycle where possible. This helped minimize transport-related emissions and congestion, while supporting Lancaster’s wider goals around more sustainable city-center travel and healthier ways of getting around.

The local economy

Our project supported the local economy by increasing footfall, dwell time, and visibility for Lancaster city-centre businesses during a typically quieter winter period. Higher footfall and spend: Lancaster BID footfall data showed a 35% increase compared with a normal Sunday during our event period. With good weather and a full programme running across the day, more people stayed in the city centre for longer—creating additional opportunities for cafés, restaurants, shops and market traders to benefit from increased customer spending, particularly from families. Direct support to local businesses: We distributed free Chinese New Year decorations to local businesses in the city centre, helping them take part in the celebration and encouraging a more vibrant “festival high street” feel that drew customers into participating venues. Extended economic benefit through place-making: We installed Chinese lanterns in the city centre for around a month, extending the impact beyond the event day. This created a visible seasonal attraction, encouraging repeat visits, supporting local hospitality and retail, and improving the overall city-centre experience for residents and visitors. Overall, the festival boosted Lancaster’s city-centre economy through increased footfall, longer visits, and extended cultural placemaking that encouraged spending locally.

Volunteering, jobs & education

Our project increased volunteering, jobs, and education by creating clear roles for local people to support delivery, paying a wide range of creatives and suppliers, and providing free learning opportunities through workshops and public demonstrations. Volunteering We recruited, trained and supervised 50+ local volunteers to help deliver the festival safely and professionally. Volunteer roles included: stewarding and parade support visitor welcome and wayfinding workshop support event promotion / social media assistance supporting on-site logistics and coordination Volunteers gained practical experience working as part of an organised public event, building confidence and transferable skills. Jobs and paid opportunities We commissioned and paid a broad range of people and groups to deliver the programme, including: parade teams (lion and dragon) musicians, dancers, and kung fu performers workshop leaders event security and stewarding support promoters and event crew stallholders and traders This created paid work in a winter period when opportunities can be limited, supporting the local and regional cultural economy. Education and skills development Education was delivered in two ways: Free cultural workshops, where participants learned through hands-on activities (and we increased the number of workshops beyond our original plan). Public performances and demonstrations in the city centre—including music, dance and kung fu—which turned the city into an informal learning space and encouraged people to engage with Chinese culture in an accessible way. Overall, the project strengthened volunteering capacity, created paid work for performers and event professionals, and expanded educational access through free workshops and live cultural learning in the city centre.

Arts, culture & heritage

Our project made a direct contribution to arts, culture and heritage by celebrating Chinese New Year as a living cultural tradition and bringing high-quality cultural programming into Lancaster’s public spaces. Arts: We delivered a strong programme of live performances—music, dance and kung fu—presented to the public in the city centre. This created accessible cultural experiences for audiences who may not usually attend arts events, while raising the profile of Lancaster as a place that can host national-level cultural activity. Culture: The festival created a shared space for communities to come together, celebrate, and learn. Through free workshops and public performances, people were able to engage with Chinese culture in an interactive way—not just as spectators, but as participants. Heritage: Chinese New Year is an important intangible cultural heritage, passed down through generations. By delivering traditional elements such as the Lion and Dragon Parade, cultural crafts workshops, and authentic food and festive decorations, we helped keep these traditions visible and relevant in a modern UK setting. Importantly, the project also supported the sector by providing paid, professional opportunities for Asian performers and artists, ensuring cultural talent was valued properly and enabling them to share their skills with the Lancaster community.

Activity, health and leisure

Our project promoted activity, health and leisure by creating a free, welcoming city-centre event that encouraged people to get out, be active, and enjoy time together in a positive public setting. Physical activity: The Lion and Dragon Parade encouraged people to walk into town, move along the parade route, and stay on their feet as they followed and watched different activities across the city centre. The kung fu performances also showcased movement, discipline and fitness, inspiring interest in active lifestyles. Health and wellbeing: The festival created a joyful, social atmosphere that supported wellbeing—bringing families, friends and different communities together. Taking part in a shared cultural celebration can reduce isolation, lift mood, and strengthen a sense of belonging. Leisure and enjoyment: The programme offered accessible leisure for all ages, combining live performances (music, dance and kung fu) with free cultural workshops where people could learn new skills, be creative, and take part hands-on. This provided a high-quality, low-cost day out in Lancaster during winter, encouraging people to spend time outdoors and engage in positive recreation.