'We brought Chinese New Year party to Lancaster'

Friends from Hong Kong who met as students in Lancaster said they "loved doing something" to thank people in the city that welcomed them so warmly seven years ago - by arranging its hugely popular Chinese New Year party.

Josh Leung, 27, and Percy Lee, 26, said they used to celebrate in London and other UK cities.

Josh said they had both wanted to share the joy of Chinese New Year with their adopted city, with Percy adding: "I mean, who doesn't like a parade?"

Ahead of their fifth festival - which now attracts thousands of people - they said they were "very proud" of how it had grown into one of the region's most popular events for everyone, not just the region's "thriving" Chinese community.

The Mayor of Lancaster, Councillor Margaret Pattison, said: "Lancaster is proud to once again come together to celebrate Chinese New Year and the rich cultural traditions that make our district such a vibrant and welcoming place.

"It will be great to see residents, visitors, and our Chinese community coming together to celebrate and mark the start of the Year of the Horse."

Josh said he remembered instantly falling in love with the city and its people when he started at Lancaster University.

"I came to an open day and immediately felt at home," he explained.

Percy said he had been drawn to Lancaster because it was a smaller city.

He said the close links between the university and the local community were incredibly special.

"They are so friendly," said Percy of people in the city. "When I first moved here they were so welcoming and when I got lost people would help me.

"The sense of community reminds me of Hong Kong."

Percy, who opened a Japanese restaurant called Tora Ramen in the city in October, said Lancaster was his favourite city in the north-west of England, with beautiful scenery and being ideally located for the Lake District if you want to go hiking.

When the Covid pandemic struck in early 2020 and the pair were unable to go home to Hong Kong due to travel restrictions, Percy and Josh discovered more about Lancaster and many of its independent businesses.

The pair set up Popber - a community interest company - to support Lancaster's businesses during the pandemic - and filmed dozens of YouTube videos to promote them.

They then organised the city's Coffee and Tea Festival with independent cafes and coffee shops.

After travelling to Chinese New Year events in London, Manchester and Birmingham, they were inspired to organise their own celebrations.

Josh said: "Both of us like celebrating and we wanted to bring it over to Lancaster.

"We went all the way to other cities and celebrated Chinese New Year and we felt we should do something for the city."

Percy said they wanted to replicate their childhood memories of festivals - and bring some much-needed cheer during the gloomy winter weather.

"I mean, who doesn't like a parade?" he asked.

And so, in 2022, they decided to decorate the city's streets with hundreds of traditional Chinese lanterns.

They have not looked back ever since, and have now organised Lancaster's fifth Chinese New Year party.

They have a team of seven - all young Chinese students or graduates from Lancaster University - working on the celebrations which also included a "packed out" cultural variety show at the city's Grand Theatre.

The latest show - held in January - featured Shaolin kung-fu masters, Kunqu performances by Chloe Sun, and the Youth Chinese Orchestra.

Josh said they had received an "outpouring of positive feedback" and had relished many touching moments over the years.

He said the fifth Chinese New Year festival was a "major milestone" for them.

"While Manchester and Liverpool are known for large-scale Chinese New Year celebrations, Lancaster's festival shows that ambitious, internationally focused cultural events can thrive in smaller northern cities."

The old university friends, who will be wearing red during the festival as it symbolises luck and prosperity in Chinese culture, said this year's event aimed to bring "new energy and happiness" to the community.

"The Year of the Horse itself is associated with energy, creativity, bravery, enthusiasm, and independence," explained Josh.

After months of preparations, they said it was worth it to bring the community together to share and embrace their culture and "see the smiles on people's faces".

"That makes us happy," Percy said.

He said while they are very proud of the annual festival, they were not surprised by its success.

"My parents taught me to dream big - and me and Josh share that mentality," said Percy.

"The challenge now is how to make it better every year!"

The event starts at 10:00 GMT on Sunday, with the official festival opening ceremony on the Market Square plinth, followed by a colourful, lively dragon and lions street parade.

Other highlights include Chinese dancing, instrumental music and singing.

There will also be a kung-fu demonstration and drumming by Lancaster-based Batala as well as free family-friendly workshops such as calligraphy, Chinese traditional opera face mask painting and the opportunity to wear traditional costumes.

Dr Derek Hird, the interim director at the Confucius Institute at Lancaster University said it was "delighted" once again to be supporting the university's graduates Josh Leung and Percy Lee from Popber to deliver their "ever popular" Chinese New Year events in the city.

The Lunar New Year starts on 17 February.

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