Sydney turns it on for the Year of the Rat

More than a million visitors are expected to enjoy the sights, sounds and flavours of Asia during the City of Sydney’s Sydney Lunar festival from January 25 to February 9.

For the first time, Lunar Lanes will weave through the streets of Chinatown to Darling Harbour on Lunar New Year’s Day, linking historic Haymarket with the new harbourside precinct.

As the biggest celebration of the Lunar New Year outside Asia, the festival welcomes tourists from around the world, as well as Sydney’s multicultural Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, and Malaysian communities.

The laneways of Sydney’s Chinatown will come to life for a dazzling opening night of stalls, concerts, street performances and free activities.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said this year’s celebrations will feature close to 100 community events across Sydney.

“Over the years we’ve seen this festival grow from a small community festival in Chinatown to one of the largest lunar celebrations in the world.”

2020 is the Year of the Metal Rat, starting on January 25.

The Year of the Rat is the first sign of the lunar zodiac and heralds the start of the 12-year lunar calendar cycle.

Marking this auspicious year, internationally acclaimed designer Claudia Chan Shaw has created an eight-metre tower of nine golden rats. These will stand guard over Sydney Harbour as part of the Sydney Lunar Lanterns display.

Eye care charity, The Fred Hollows Foundation, is the new charity partner for the 2020 lunar festival.

“In the Year of the Rat, we will continue our work across Asia, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, and some provinces in China,” said deputy CEO Nick Martin.