Sheffield galloped into the Year of the Horse as Lunar New year celebrations kicked off in the city.

The 15-day spring festival celebrations started with events taking place in the city centre, Meadowhall shopping centre, University of Sheffield’s student hub:The Edge and many more. 

Meadowhall’s Lunar celebrations lasted from Sunday 15 February to Friday 20 February ending with an internationally acclaimed performance from the Foshan Lion Dance Troupe in the Lower Oasis of the shopping centre.

Hundreds flocked to the centre to celebrate Chinese culture and the start of a prosperous year.

Onlooker Lauren Péng, 23, from Wadsley, said: “It’s just so nice to see our culture celebrated in such a popular place. So many people from all backgrounds have come to watch.”

The Foshan lion dance troupe continued celebrations with a performance in the city’s Peace Gardens on Saturday and Sunday. The gardens were filled with music, parades and street food, a vast display of cultural appreciation for the Lunar Year beginning. 

Sheffield University also got involved with Reslife at the student hub – The Edge – providing free Chinese food for their student population so they could join in on the fun.

First year student Mia Jackson-Booth, 19, from Coventry, said: “There were a lot of different people there. There was a community atmosphere and we celebrated the Lunar New Year together.” 

Lunar New Year marks the shift around the Chinese zodiac calendar, a 12-year cycle embodied by the animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig as well as intertwining the five elements of water, fire, earth, metal and wood. 

The year of 2026 has been labelled as the Year of the Fire Horse due to the heavenly stem – one of the five elements – being Bing – Big sun and the Earthly branch (animals) being Wu – The Horse. This combination of Fire Horse dictates the year as being energetic and fast moving, a vibrant sign for 2026.