Biggest-ever Twilight Parade to awaken the dragon

More than 100,000 people are expected to line the streets from Sydney Town Hall to Darling Harbour this Sunday night as the City of Sydney stages its biggest-ever Chinese New Year Twilight Parade to ring in the Year of the Dragon.

The free celebration will feature more than 2,900 performers from Australia and China - including 130 artists from Chengdu in Sichuan Province, the City's official partner for this year's festival - as well as 24 colourful floats, dynamic live music, flamboyant dragons, dazzling costumes, beautiful illuminated zodiac lanterns and much more.

For the first time, brilliant digital light projections will appear along the parade route on Sydney Town Hall, the Summit Apartments on George Street and the Novotel Darling Harbour, transforming the city centre into a mini-Hong Kong until late into the night. Spectacular fireworks will close the show with a bang.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said the City's annual Twilight Parade has become a major event on Sydney's cultural calendar, stating "it's a spectacular mix of new and old, from martial artists and circus performers to Chinese musicians and ballroom dancers, and performers from Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai and Sydney.

"Watched by millions of people across Australia and throughout Asia, the Twilight Parade is the centrepiece of our Chinese New Year celebrations."

The celebrations start at 7pm with gathering crowds entertained by dragonflies on stilts and unicycles, roller-blading dragons and phoenixes, and street artists spray-painting dragon designs onto giant travelling billboards. This will be followed by a traditional Chinese lion dance and eye-dotting ceremony to ward off evil spirits and awaken the dragon.

As dusk descends, a giant glittering dragon head will lead the parade through the city, accompanied by elegant fan dancers.

Sydneysiders will be treated to an homage to the many Chinese restaurants named after the dragon, as a spectacular 'restaurant dragon' float made from cooking utensils winds its way along the route accompanied by yum cha trolleys, chef musicians, plate spinners, school-aged mini-chefs and 2010 MasterChef Australia winner, Festival Ambassador Adam Liaw.

A stunning array of Asian and Western dragons will also come to life. These include a tribute to martial arts legend Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, a recreation of the famous Dragon Balls held in Sydney's Trocadero during the mid-20th century, a calming river-themed musical float celebrating the Year of the (Water) Dragon, and an electrifying 'hot rod' dragon accompanied by traffic wand dancers.

Visitors from Chengdu will show off their skills and unique culture with an 18-metre dragon showered with fireworks, 20 'panda puppet' performers, a spectacular panda-themed float and 30 dancers giving Sydneysiders a taste of some of Sichuan's colourful ethnic minority groups, including the Tibetan, Yi and Qiang people.

City of Sydney Creative Director of Events and 2012 Parade Director said Gill Minervini explains that "the Dragon is a powerful, passionate and innovative creature in Chinese mythology, and we have drawn on these attributes to create our most exciting and energetic Twilight Parade yet.

"This year we have tried to build on the fantastic street party we've created in previous years and give our audience a truly 360-degree experience with new inclusions like dazzling neon light projections, world-class pre-parade entertainment and more international performers than ever before."

The Twilight Parade is a free event for all Sydneysiders and visitors, however those wanting to secure a front-row seat can buy a ticket for the VIP section outside Sydney Town Hall or the Sydney Entertainment Centre at Darling Harbour for $66.

For more information go to www.sydneychinesenewyear.com