Credit: Birmingham Hippodrome
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In Chinese culture, 12 animals bestow their personality traits onto each zodiac year. This ‘Year of the Horse’ is all about energy, freedom and adventure. In the traditional Chinese calendar, the New Year begins with the first new moon of this calendar, which falls on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
Birmingham’s Chinese New Year celebrations will welcome the ‘Year of the Horse’ on Sunday, February 22. The free Chinese New Year festival, organised by the Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee and Birmingham Hippodrome, will once more take place in and around Hurst Street alongside the Chinese Quarter.
What do I need to know about the Chinese New Year? 
Credit: Birmingham Hippodrome
Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is not only a major holiday in China, but in the likes of South Korea, Vietnam, and many other East Asian countries, too. Traditionally, it is a time to honour deities and ancestors, feast, and visit family, while celebrations focus on fireworks, food, lanterns and the colour red.
Celebrations then last for 16 days, this year ending on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, and concluding with a Lantern Festival to mark the first full moon of the new year. The night sky is filled with lanterns to symbolise the return of light and spring. Iconic red envelopes, filled with money, are also handed out to children during this period.
What is the Year of the Fire Horse? 
Credit: Birmingham Hippodrome
While the Year of the Horse comes around every 12 years, the zodiac combination of Fire Horse, linked with rapid transformation, comes around only every 60 years. Many predict a year of chaos or cultural change. In 1966, the Vietnam War escalated, England won the World Cup, and The Beatles performed the first major stadium rock concert in New York.
What can I expect at Birmingham’s Chinese New Year festival?
No specific details have yet been given, but it promises to “wow audiences with both traditional and modern music, dance and theatre performances.” Previous years have the traditional waking of the lion dances, a packed programme of local Chinese talent, before a huge fireworks finale, as well as crafts market, food stalls, and funfairs.