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Celebrate the year of the horse with the Liverpool Confucius Institute this February.
Every year, LCI hosts and supports Chinese New Year celebrations across the Liverpool city region. This year, we are pleased to announce that LCI will be returning to the VG&M and Chinatown to host a range of cultural and craft activities.
Victoria Gallery and Museum Chinese New Year Celebrations
21st February 2026 (11am - 4pm)
Join LCI for a workshop of Chinese cultural activities and crafts in the VG&M foyer to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Chinatown Celebrations
22nd February 2026 (11am - 5pm)
As part of Culture Liverpool's celebrations in Liverpool, LCI will be taking up one of their stalls to provide cultural craft activities.
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Alt text: A person using scissors to cut out a shape from red card.
Year of the Horse:
Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, has its origins in ancient China and is closely tied to the lunar calendar and agricultural cycles. Traditionally, it marked the end of winter and the beginning of spring, a time to honour ancestors and deities while praying for a good harvest and fortune in the year ahead. One popular legend tells of Nian, a fearsome beast that appeared at the start of each year; villagers learned to scare it away with loud noises, bright lights, and the colour red—customs that still shape the celebration today.
Each year is associated with one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. The year 2026 is the Year of the Horse, specifically the Fire Horse, which symbolises energy, independence, confidence, and forward momentum. It is often seen as a year that favours bold action, passion, and perseverance.
People celebrate Chinese New Year through a variety of vibrant traditions that typically last fifteen days, ending with the Lantern Festival. Families gather for reunion dinners on New Year’s Eve, clean their homes beforehand to sweep away bad luck, and decorate with red lanterns, couplets, and paper cuttings to invite good fortune. Fireworks and firecrackers are set off to ward off evil spirits, while children receive red envelopes (hongbao) filled with money as symbols of luck and prosperity. Other common traditions include lion and dragon dances, visiting relatives, honouring ancestors, and enjoying symbolic foods such as dumplings (wealth), fish (abundance), and rice cakes (progress). Together, these customs emphasise renewal, family unity, and hope for a prosperous year ahead.