Lancaster Grand Theatre rings in the Lunar New Year with a landmark celebration of Culture, Craft and Community

Image credit - Lancaster Chinese New Year / Popber/ Edward Au

Lancaster Grand Theatre was alive with colour, rhythm and celebration on Saturday 31 January as it welcomed audiences to the fifth edition of its annual Chinese New Year Culture Variety Show, a much-loved event that has firmly established itself as one of the city’s most joyful and unifying cultural highlights.

This year’s celebration proved to be the most exhilarating yet, with the theatre packed to near-capacity and only a handful of seats remaining. Over one glittering evening, audiences were taken on a spellbinding journey through tradition and innovation, showcasing exceptional artistry from across generations and disciplines.

The programme brought together Shaolin kung fu masters, whose lightning-fast precision and disciplined power commanded the stage, alongside moments of exquisite stillness and refinement led by fifth-generation Kunqu opera successor Chloe Sun. Her performance offered a rare and mesmerising glimpse into China’s oldest opera tradition, where poetic movement, silk-sleeved grace and crystalline vocals carried centuries of storytelling.

The evening swelled with sound as the Youth Chinese Orchestra filled the auditorium with a cinematic tapestry of music, from the haunting voices of the erhu and pipa to the warmth of bamboo flutes and the thunderous pulse of festival drums. Professional dancers moved seamlessly between classical elegance and contemporary flair, while powerhouse vocalists delivered melodies that felt both deeply rooted and thrillingly new.

Marking the show’s fifth anniversary, this year’s production leaned further into what audiences have come to love: more tradition, more surprise, and more togetherness. Enhanced staging, stunning costumes and new musical arrangements brought audiences closer than ever to the action, from the intimacy of a solo aria to the exhilaration of a full-ensemble finale.

Lancaster Grand Theatre has been thrilled to see the event grow year on year and is immensely proud to support such a vibrant and meaningful cultural celebration for the local community. The visual spectacle on stage, the colour, movement and musicianship, once again captivated audiences, cementing the Chinese New Year Culture Variety Show as a true annual highlight in the theatre’s calendar and a celebration the team hopes will continue for many years to come.

The event is produced and organised by Popber, who run and deliver the Lancaster Chinese New Year celebrations. Reflecting on the festival’s journey, the organisers said:

“Looking back at our humble beginnings five years ago, it has been an incredible journey of evolution. We started with a lot of passion but have learned so much along the way, listening closely to expert advice and audience feedback to continually refine our production values. The results speak for themselves, with our occupancy growing from around 60% in the early days to an incredible 95% this year. Watching the leap in quality, from performers to stage management, has been a real joy.”

On the event becoming a much-anticipated fixture in the city’s cultural life, they added:

“The growth of this festival is a testament to the power of word of mouth. Families return year after year, bringing friends and neighbours with them to share the experience. People now travel from across Lancashire and beyond specifically to attend, and we’re immensely proud that the community has embraced this festival as their own. That sense of shared ownership is our greatest motivation to keep raising the bar.”

Looking to the future, Popber highlighted the deeper purpose behind the celebrations:

“Our vision has always been about accessibility and education. We want to bring a London-standard Chinese cultural showcase to Lancaster at a fraction of the cost, ensuring that high-quality art remains affordable for families and young people. It’s vital that children can experience and understand different cultures right here on their doorstep.

We are also proud to provide a platform for ethnic minority performers to build their dreams and experiment creatively. From fusing traditional dance with live instrumentation to this year’s unique rearrangement of Cantonese pop performed by a traditional Chinese instrument orchestra, we aim to champion innovation you won’t see elsewhere in the UK. We hope to continue breaking boundaries and bringing these exclusive performances to Lancaster Grand Theatre for many years to come.”

As the applause echoed through the auditorium, one thing was clear: Lancaster’s Chinese New Year Culture Variety Show has grown into far more than a performance. It is a celebration of heritage, creativity and community, and a shining example of what happens when a city comes together to share culture, curiosity and joy.