Adventures in Parramatta: Chinese New Year Twilight Festival

There are few foods that I keep on hand at home at all times: eggs, bread, milk, garlic, tomatoes and frozen dumplings from an Asian supermarket. Quick, easy, delicious dinner. So when I saw that celebrations for the Chinese Year of the Snake were being held at the Church Street Mall this year I was in. The official date for the new year was 10th February 2013. The Parramatta celebrations were held the following Friday night.

Church Street Mall was decked out in lanterns and lights. There were drumming circles, colourful characters and lions. You could learn how origami, create chinese characters/calligraphy or paper fans. There was even a wildlife tent with snakes.

After the wandering around - I was starved, so it was time for dumplings. After having Lan Lan dumplings at the Parramatta Laneways and discovering they were here tonight, I jumped on the long queue and waited my turn for shanghai and prawn dumplings.

And they were worth the wait.

After soaking up the sunshine and the culture, it was the start of the Lion parade, from St John's Cathedral to the Mall outside the town hall. I couldn't get close enough - due to the crowds of people - but what I could see was pretty cool. The crackers went off after the Lion dance - and echoed across the mall. Some kids even ran to their parents, scared of the loud sounds.

After a quick stop off at Coco Cubano for a drink, we walked back through the mall, to discover that the mall was still full of people - enjoying the atmosphere and the lights.

It was a great decision to move the celebrations from Church Street South to the Church Street Mall. More traffic. More visibility. And a great New Year celebration.