Chinese New Year parade cancelled due to spread of Omicron

By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter

London’s famous Chinese New Year parade has had to be cancelled again to cut the risks over further spreads of the Covid virus.

The event is usually the biggest celebration of Chinese New Year outside Asia and is one of the first major tourist events in the West End’s calendar.

But the usual spectacular, costumed parades and stage performances will be replaced with a small-scale lion dance and night market in Chinatown’s Newport Place with video screens showing pre-recorded performances.

The event was also cancelled last year due to the pandemic.

A Chinese New Year event to celebrate the Year of the Tiger was expected to take place on Tuesday, February 1.

But London’s Chinese community confirmed it was not practical to organise a big celebration, especially since Government guidelines advise people to work from home until January 26 at the earliest.

The parade usually starts in Charing Cross Road before dancing its way up Shaftesbury Avenue ending in a grand finale in Trafalgar Square.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “As the Omicron variant continues to spread across the capital, the organisers have had to take the difficult decision to scale back the planned Lunar New Year celebrations.

“It is disappointing that we are not now going to be able to gather together to celebrate in Trafalgar Square in our usual numbers, however we will still be marking the occasion and details will be announced in due course.

“The mayor urges everyone to help halt the spread of the virus by ensuring they get vaccinated and boosted, and by continuing to wear a face-covering on public transport and in shops and indoor venues.

“By playing your part, the mayor hopes that we can look forward to welcoming Londoners and visitors from home and abroad back to the capital for future events this year.”

The London Chinatown Chinese Association has been contacted for comment.