Chinese New Year festival in Bunbury goes with a bang

The forecast rain held off for a big crowd which turned out to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Bunbury on Saturday.

The inaugural Bunbury Chinese New Year Festival attracted more visitors than anticipated and was a massive success, according to event organiser Amanda Yip.

Mrs Yip said organisers were expecting about 500 people, but the numbers were up around the 800 mark.

“It was an amazing show of support,” Mrs Yip said.

“It was exactly how I wanted it to be, it was really well attended and everyone really enjoyed it.”

The event had to be relocated to the Stirling Street Arts Centre at the 11th hour due to the expected rain, but weather conditions did little to discourage a strong crowd.

Mrs Yip said lion dancers from the Chinese Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy were a highlight of the event, along with a selection of food vendors.

She said organisers would build on the relationships with supporters of the inaugural event for next year’s festival.

“We don’t want to lose the intimacy of it ... we’ll consolidate what we did now that we know what people enjoyed,” she said.

She also thanked the Bunbury City Council events committee, saying “it wouldn’t have happened without them”.

More pictures from the event: