MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sunday, 11 February 2024, the jubilant atmosphere filled Australia's oldest Chinatown, marking the largest Chinese Lunar New Year celebration in Melbourne. Families and friends united to welcome the Year of the Dragon, celebrating with the rich food, music, art, and culture of Melbourne's Chinese and Asian communities.

"Melbourne's Chinatown precinct was the only place to be this Lunar New Year," Acting Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece stated.

This year's event attracted over 200,000 attendees, providing a significant boost to local Chinatown businesses and traders. This built on the previous year's attendance, which saw almost 180,000 people celebrating together.

A standout attraction was the parade featuring the Millennium Processional Dragon. Led by the event hosts and sponsors, the 55-metre long dragon meandered through the crowds, spreading New Year blessings.

The Melbourne Chinatown Association, a dedicated, volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization established to support and represent the Chinese and Asian communities in Melbourne, hosted this year's event. Since its inception in May 2022, the association has been at the forefront of promoting social cohesion and celebrating Chinese and Asian culture within the broader community.

"This year's festival was the perfect start to the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations," remarked JJ Heng and Trevor Du, the Co-Founders of the Melbourne Chinatown Association. "Melbourne is the culture and events capital of Australia, and it is precisely the Australian values of freedom, mutual respect, fairness, and equality of opportunity that brings us all together."

"Today, we, from different backgrounds, come together to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Dragon in the heart of Melbourne's vibrant Chinatown, which has long been a symbol of multicultural diversity in Australia," remarked Xiaodong Chen, Deputy Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Melbourne. "I hope the relations between China and Australia will achieve more new accomplishments in every field."

The success of this year's Chinese Lunar New Year festival in commemorating the Year of the Dragon has further fuelled the Melbourne Chinatown Association's dedication to ensuring the seamless and collaborative delivery of more related events. "Together with the Melbourne Chinatown Association, we wish Melbournians prosperity, growth, resilience, and abundance as we embark on the Year of the Dragon," said Acting Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece.

Like many other sponsors, HungryPanda, the industrial leading Asian food delivery platform, was thrilled to be part of the event, celebrating cultural heritage. "We are so grateful for the opportunity to be part of this wonderful event," expressed Kitty Lu, Director of Public Affairs at HungryPanda. "Our goal is to connect food, people and culture, and this celebration certainly achieved all of the above."

The Melbourne Chinatown Association expresses its gratitude for the generous support and endorsement received from the State Government of Victoria, the City of Melbourne, and the Federation of Chinese Associations in Victoria as the honorary Co-organising Partner and all sponsors and supporters for this year's celebrations.