Birmingham gears up to usher in the Year of the Tiger

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: JEFFREY YAP  Phone: 0121 707 4355

E-mail: pr@cnybirmingham.org.uk

BIRMINGHAM, UK - The FREE Annual Birmingham Chinese New Year Celebrations sponsored by Lebara Mobile UK will take place on Sunday 14 February, from 12.30pm to 4.30pm in the Arcadian Centre.

"Following from the recent success of the Celebrations in Birmingham to mark the Chinese New Year, the Festival of 2010 promises to be even bigger and better. The Festival of 2009 saw thousands descend upon the Arcadian Centre. Mesmerising acrobatic and cultural performances made it truly a great day out for all the family - especially as it was all provided free of charge.

Council Leader Mike Whitby will be in attendance, and will mark the start of the Celebration by the traditional Ceremony of Dotting the Dragon's eyes. The celebrations will start with a bang, with an extravagant dragon and lion dance closely followed by Fire Crackers. Acrobatic and cultural displays will fill the rest of the programme, and there is sure to be something for everyone. There will be more stalls than ever which visitors can browse at their leisure throughout the day, and for the first time there will be an extra performance space as a result of the closure of Hurst Street.

Festival Committee Chairman, Jeffrey Yap said "As proven by previous years, the Celebration here in Birmingham is by no means confined to the Chinese Community. We warmly welcome all members of the public to join in the fun and enjoy celebrating one of the oldest celebrated festivals in the world. Thanks to the involvement of our new main sponsor, Lebara Mobile, we have been able to put on an even bigger show for the people of Birmingham."

Birmingham’s Chinese New Year Festival, sponsored by Lebara Mobile UK, is organised by the Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee, and is free to the public thanks to the co-operation of our Corporate and Municipal partners. Lebara Mobile’s UK Managing Director, Russell Atkinson, said, “We are delighted to be associated with the Chinese New Year festivities taking place across London, Birmingham and Manchester. Engaging directly with our customers has always been a key part of our success and Chinese New Year offers us the opportunity to do exactly that. We extend Chinese New Year greetings to all our customers.” Other partners include: Birmingham City Council (Leisure and Tourism), The Arcadian Centre and Midland Linen Services. Associate Partners this year are Tiger Beer, Grosvenor Casinos, Lebara Mobile, Gala Casinos and Tsingtao Beer.

The aims of the BCFC are to organise, develop, and maintain the Chinese New Year Festivities in Birmingham to a standard which reflects the high level of interest the wider community in the Midlands have for Chinese culture. The Committee also strives to promote Chinese culture through displays at other events, such as Birmingham's Artsfest."

-ENDS-

Note to editors:

1. When publishing stories about the above event online, please provide a link to our official website: http://www.cnybirmingham.org.uk.

2. Chinese New Year’s Day falls on 14 February 2010.