Willoughby City Council, on the lower North Shore of Sydney, today announced the program for the fourth edition of the Chatswood Lunar New Year Festival celebrating The Year of the Tiger.
Featuring comedy, art, music, performance, food, and traditional cultural celebrations, the 2022 festival will be the most vibrant to date, running from Thursday 27 January until Sunday 20 February.
Spanning across multiple Chatswood locations, the events showcase the cultures of China, Vietnam, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
The cultural delights on offer include traditional festivities, as well as opportunities to celebrate through the best contemporary culture, including a one-night-only Lunar New Year Comedy Festival on 12 February at The Concourse. The lineup will feature some of Australia’s funniest Asian-Australian comedians such as Lawrence Leung, Alex Lee, Michael Hing, Annie Louey, Diana Nguyen and Harry Jun.
Throughout the Festival, a diverse musical program will create a lively atmosphere. From 10 – 13 February, The Concourse outdoor space will come alive with Chatswood Tiger Beats, a free outdoor concert series with a popup bar, featuring some of the best Asian-Australian pop, RnB, and electronic artists, including Rainbow Chan, Lucy Sugerman, and Yeo. Meanwhile, for classical music lovers, a pocket-sized one-hour version of the classic Mozart opera The Magic Flute directed by Peter Coleman-Wright AO will be performed on Saturday 19 November by Pacific Opera and Willoughby Symphony Orchestra in the Concert Hall at The Concourse. An evening of orchestral music merging East and West will take place on 5 February at the Lunar New Year Concert.
Quality art will be showcased at several exhibitions across Chatswood from 27 January – 20 February, including the unveiling of a major new installation by acclaimed artist Simone Chua from Amigo and Amigo of a mother tiger and her four cubs in The Concourse Reflection Pool. At The Incinerator, The World that Feels Warm, curated by Guan Wei, will feature work by artists such as Tracey Moffatt, Tim Johnson, Owen Leong, Ginger Jingzhe Li, and Huajie Zhang. At the Art Space on the Concourse, Parallel Wanderings will present work by Australian artists with Chinese cultural roots exploring Chinese landscape traditions through sculpture, photography, installation, and performance art.
Every Thursday and Friday throughout the Festival, The Golden Market will transform Chatswood Mall. A traditional market akin to those found in cities across Asia to celebrate the New Year, it will feature stalls offering Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Japanese food, as well as Lunar New Year decorations and gifts.
To mark the start of Chinese New Year, a Celebration Day on 5 February at The Concourse will be one of Sydney’s largest Lunar New Year celebrations. Festivities on the day will include Chinese Opera, K-pop, traditional dance, and Lunar New Year delicacies.
The finest of Chatswood’s Asian eateries will also celebrate through a Food Trail, mapped out to highlight the remarkable Asian cuisine in the area, curated by respected food writer Lee Tran Lam.
“I’m excited to announce Chatswood’s Lunar New Year Festival will again delight with Asian culture, entertainment, art, and delicacies. This vibrant celebration showcases emerging and established Asian-Australian artists, performers, and creatives while highlighting the huge range of dining options offered by Chatswood. Providing fun for all ages, the Chatswood Year of the Tiger Festival is a great way to celebrate the diversity of our city,” said Willoughby City Council CEO, Debra Just.
Go to www.visitchatswood.com.au/lny for more information on the Chatswood Year of the Tiger Festival, as well as booking, and ticketing details.
The Chatswood Year of the Tiger festival is staged thanks to key partnerships with local businesses, media sponsors, and with the support of the Australia China Institute for Arts and Culture, the Chinese Cultural Centre, SBS, Western Sydney University, and Chatswood Culture Bites.
CHATSWOOD YEAR OF THE TIGER FESTIVAL EVENT OVERVIEW
LUNAR NEW YEAR COMEDY FESTIVAL
Saturday 12 February 7 pm and 9pm | The Concourse Concert Hall
Feast on fun at the Lunar New Year Comedy Showcase this February in Chatswood
Starring comedy legends from The Project, Triple J and The Chaser: Alex Lee, Lawrence Leung, Michael Hing, Annie Louey, Harry Jun, Diana Nguyen, Suraj Kolarkar and Suren Jayemanne.
This is your chance to see Australia’s best comedians at The Chatswood Concourse – the cultural heart of the North Shore. Find your funny this February!
THE MAGIC FLUTE
Saturday 19 February 2 pm and 7 pm | The Concourse Concert Hall
One of the greatest operas ever written, Mozart’s timeless classic leads the search for truth and justice, love and enlightenment. Distinguished baritone Peter Coleman-Wright AO directs this pocket-sized one-hour version of Mozart’s classic – The Magic Flute (also part of Willoughby City Council’s Chatswood Culture Bites 2021 program). The Magic Flute is performed by Pacific Opera and Willoughby Symphony Orchestra. The Magic Flute will be sung in German with English and traditional Chinese scene descriptions. This pocket Opera is produced in association with the Australia China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University.
THE WORLD THAT FEELS WARM 有温度的世界
27 January – 20 February | The Incinerator
CURATOR: Guan Wei; ARTISTS: Tracey Moffatt, Tim Johnson, Owen Leong, Ginger Jingzhe Li, Huajie Zhang
This exhibition is presented by the Institute of Australian and Chinese Arts & Culture at Western Sydney University in partnership with Willoughby City Council and Chatswood Year of the Tiger. It is part of the exhibition series; Human Beings and Nature Are One 天人合一 taking place in galleries on the Lower North Shore.
Featuring a diverse range of art practices, including painting, photography, sculpture, installation-based work and video art, each piece in this exhibition provides a distinctive lens through which visitors can feel and experience the harmony between art, nature, and humankind.
PARALLEL WANDERINGS 双行游
27 January – 20 February | Artspace on The Concourse
ARTISTS: WeiZen Ho, Karen Lee, Pamela Leung, Ruth Ju-Shih Li, Dapeng Liu, Jayanto Tan, Laurens Tan and Tianli Zu
The Council curated exhibition Parallel Wanderings 双行游 explores how contemporary Australian artists with Chinese cultural roots reinterpret and draw from Chinese landscape traditions, and present the notion of ‘landscape’ through the contemporary mediums of sculpture, photography, installation, and performance art. Through different mediums, the group of artists reflects on the importance of nature and their connection to the natural world. As the parameters around contemporary art practices continue to expand, the landscape genre continues to adapt with it, highlighting present-day issues, including Climate Change and urbanisation.
CURIOUS TIGER
by Amigo and Amigo
27 January – 20 February | The Concourse Reflection Pool
Working with acclaimed artist Simone Chua from Amigo and Amigo, The Concourse Reflection Pool will be taken over by a mother tiger and four tiger cubs. The larger-than-life inflatable tiger will curiously peer over the reflection pool fence making the perfect photo opportunity.
CHATSWOOD TIGER BEATS OUTDOOR CONCERT SERIES
10 – 13 February | The Concourse
Chatswood Year of the Tiger Festival and Archie Rose have partnered to bring a brand-new celebration of contemporary culture, diversity, cutting-edge music, and good spirits to the North Shore. Featuring some of the best Asian-Australian pop, RnB, and electronic artists you should be listening to right now, including Rainbow Chan. Don’t miss your opportunity to grab a seat at the bar.
LUNAR NEW YEAR CONCERT
5 February | The Concourse
Celebrate the Year of Tiger with a vibrant production in the Concert Hall, Chatswood.
Together with Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and the most acclaimed Chinese Australian soloists, this all-star cast presents a true blend of western and eastern classics, providing the perfect occasion for families to experience authentic Chinese culture.
GOLDEN MARKET
Every Thursday & Friday, plus Saturday 5 February | The Chatswood Mall
The Golden Market will transform the Chatswood Mall into a replica end-of-year market commonly found in cities across Asia.
CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION DAY
5 February | The Concourse
Saturday 5 February welcome in the year of the Tiger at one of Sydney’s largest Chinese New Year celebrations. In 2022 the festivities will feature entertainment such as Chinese Opera, K-pop, traditional dance, and lunar new year delicacies.
FOOD TRAILS
27 January – 20 February | Various Chatswood Locations
Eat your way around Chatswood with curated food trails.
