Chinese New Year parade returns to Paris
Paris celebrates Chinese New Year with colourful parades, lion and dragon dances, brightly lit red lanterns, firecrackers, martial arts, drums, and other festivities throughout the city's Chinese and Asian neighbourhoods in January or February to welcome the Lunar New Year.
Featuring brilliantly costumed "lions," flamboyant "dragons," ribbon dancers wearing spectacular traditional dresses, drummers and cymbal players, acrobats, fun kids' activities, and fantastic Asian food, these special New Year events give you exciting opportunities to experience Chinese culture in Paris.
Celebrations in Paris typically take place over the course of about 2 weeks, although in China they may continue for a month.
Paris has the good fortune to include four vibrant Asian neighbourhoods - three predominantly Chinese and South East Asian where the parades and biggest celebrations take place, plus a growing Japanese-Korean enclave known for its trendy restaurants.
An additional CNY parade and a festive celebration take place in a mostly non-Asian neighbourhood along Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.
The large New Year Parade in Belleville is distinctly Chinese, with lots of lions, dragons, martial arts, and dancers.
The Belleville neighbourhood includes a large number of residents with roots in China, especially eastern and southern coastal provinces.
With relatively few Vietnamese or other Southeast Asians living in this neighbourhood, New Year celebrations focus on mostly Chinese customs.
