Where can you celebrate Lunar New Year in the South?

Lunar New Year is an annual celebration which coincides with the first new moon of the lunar calendar.

Millions of people around the world celebrate the event, especially in east and south-east Asia.

This year, the 15-day festival begins on Tuesday 17 February, marking the change from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse.

Parades, workshops and traditional activities will be taking place across the south of England as celebrations get under way. Here are just some of them...

The Hampshire Chinese Association (HCA) will be on the High Street in Winchester city centre with traditional dragon and lion dances, cultural workshops and performances from 11:30 to 13:30 on 21 February.

Ryde Library on the Isle of Wight is hosting a Chinese New Year story time and craft event on Saturday at 13:00.

On 28 February the Chinese Association of Southampton is at Westquay Shopping Centre where there will be a dragon and lion parade, and fan painting and lantern-making workshops. The afternoon, from 14:00 to 16:00, will include tai chi and kung fu displays.

Chinese Lantern Festival will also be marked at Guildhall Square on the same day.

The HCA, in collaboration with UK Shaolin, will be at the Marlands Shopping Centre, also on 28 February. The line-up from 11:30 to 13:30 will feature traditional performances, cultural activities and games, and lion and dragon dances.

The Kings Theatre will host an event by the Portsmouth Chinese Association on 1 March at 15:00 featuring traditional and contemporary performances.

Craft sessions will take place at Gillingham Library on Thursday.

The Sovereign Shopping Centre in Boscombe, Bournemouth, has its annual event on Saturday between 12:00 and 15:00 organised by Bournemouth Chinese School and the Chinese Association of Southampton.

It will feature a dragon and lion dance, aerial performances, fan dances, tai chi, singing, live music with traditional Chinese instruments, and a speech from the mayor.

There will also be free interactive workshops featuring Chinese calligraphy and cartoon portraits.

Organiser Bournemouth Coastal BID says the local community can "experience cultural traditions, enjoy live entertainment, and mark the beginning of a new lunar year in the heart of the town".

The Russell-Cotes Museum in Bournemouth has arranged Chinese and horse-themed trails and Chinese decoration-making until Sunday.

The High Street in Maidenhead will feature a lion dance parade on Saturday from 12:30.

There are festivities at Reading Town Hall from 10:30 to 15:40 on 1 March, organised by Reading Chinese School.

From 10:30 to 11:30 there are traditional Chinese workshops with traditional Chinese instruments, dancing, and Chinese tea art.

From 11:45 to 13:00 outdoor performances and a street parade start at the Town Hall Square and move along to the high street, via Market Place. Lions, dragons and pandas will feature in the red ribbon display.

Then, from 13:30 to 15:40, lion dances, traditional singing and dancing, and tai chi take place in the town hall.

There will also be lion dancing on Wokingham Market Place on 1 March, alongside music, arts, crafts, stalls and street food.

Taking to the stage from 11:00 to 14:00 are local Canton pop band 852X and Hong Kong Reading Singers and Junior Singers.

Wokingham Baptist Church Hongkongers will offer traditional Chinese calligraphy, Happy Panda Chinese Language School have a traditional bean picking activity using chopsticks, and Circus Scene teach the arts of spinning plates and twirling cloths.

There will be a Chinese New Year Market on Thatcham Broadway on 1 March from 10:00 to 16:00.

Alongside food and crafts stalls will be a lion dance outside the Kingsland Centre at 11:00 and 12:30, as well as performances from local groups.

Mayor Petra Pemberton says: "Thatcham is the perfect place to celebrate the diversity of our residents, and I hope everyone will come along to enjoy the food, performances, and welcoming atmosphere."

The Museum of Oxford is holding family workshops on Thursday from 11:00 to 15:30. Arts and crafts will include origami and festive fan designing.

East Oxford Community Centre will showcase taster sessions from local qigong, tai chi, and kung fu schools on Saturday.

Oxford's Town Hall will play host to its traditional lunch and variety show on Sunday.

It will feature lion and dragon dances, folk dances, traditional music, and a classical poem and piano recital.

It also features a Lunar New Year Market where activities include papercutting, kung fu, Chinese calligraphy, craft workshops, festive food stalls, and dressing up.

Not all events are free to attend - please check websites for full details.

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.