Public Service Announcement for Yokohama City

7th February 2024

This week's edition is on the 'Yokohama Chinatown 2024 Spring Festival'.

Did you know that in China, the Lunar New Year is called the 'Spring Festival' and there is a tradition of celebrating it in style? Yokohama Chinatown will be celebrating the event too. It will hold the 38th ‘Spring Festival’ from Saturday 10th February. 

On Sunday 11th, Monday 12th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th, visitors to Yamashita-cho Park in Chinatown will be able to watch entertaining performances of traditional Chinese arts including lion and dragon dances, dancing, and Chinese acrobatics.

This year, front-row “paid viewing seats” are available. They come with special offers, so be sure to purchase tickets from the Chinatown Official Website.

And on Friday 23rd February, a celebratory parade called the “Celebration Dance Parade” will be held. As well as a team wearing colorful emperor costumes, there will be a lion dance expressing a mix of courage and sweetness, graceful traditional Chinese dancing, and Chinese zither performances, so visitors will have the chance to see special sights that are unique to the Spring Festival.

Lastly, on Saturday 24th February, a Lantern Festival will be held in Yokohama Masobyo to round off the Spring Festival celebrations. 

Graceful votive dances and bold lion dances will be performed, filling the area with a magical air completely different to the usual bright atmosphere.

Why not come and experience a different Chinatown to usual, a special Chinatown that’s unique to the spring festival period.

The Yokohama Chinatown 2024 Spring Festival will take place between Saturday 10th and Saturday 24th February, so please drop by.