5 Treasures Of Adelaide's 2016 Chinese Lunar New Year Celebrations

Since he was appointed CEO and Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival Centre in 2006, Douglas Gautier has successfully established the venue as a hub for Asian/Australian cultural engagement.

Here he lists his Top 5 picks of Chinese art and cultural events in Adelaide to celebrate the 2016 Lunar New Year:


Chinese Music Orchestra

'Treasures Of The Nation' – 18 February

If you've never heard traditional Chinese music played live before, by a full orchestra, this one-night only concert is an absolute must for a truly spectacular way to ring in the year of the monkey. The prestigious 43-piece Chinese Music Orchestra from Beijing plays a range of traditional and ancient Chinese instruments to showcase China's diverse musical heritage and introduce audiences to a new world of music, beautiful visuals and virtuosity.


Stories Of Life: 'Mr Sea' by Geng Xue (video still - 2014)

Stories Of Life – 6 February - 3 April

This stunning free exhibition of contemporary artworks by 14 of China's most fascinating artists features painting, sculpture, video and multimedia works that explore what daily life is like in rapidly changing Chinese society. I'm especially excited to see the works of Miao Xiaochun, an internationally renowned photographic artist famous for his digitally created pieces, and sculptor Xiang Jing whose works focus on the experiences of contemporary Chinese women.

Monkeying around in the Fringe Parade – 13 February

'Treasures Of The Nation' and 'Stories Of Life' are both official 2016 Adelaide Fringe events, so we thought we'd keep the Lunar New Year theme going in the Festival Centre's float in the opening night Fringe parade. I don't want to give away too much, so I'll just say the words: giant, inflatable, glow in the dark and monkey and you can put it together yourself.


OzAsia

OzAsia Festival

OK, so it's not strictly a Lunar New Year event, but OzAsia is still the biggest and best celebration of Asian arts and culture in the country, so it's definitely worth a mention! Held 17 September to 2 October in and around the Adelaide Festival Centre, the 2016 event marks the 10th anniversary of the festival so expect some really exciting stuff on the program. Follow @OzAsiaFestival on Facebook and Twitter for updates throughout the year.

The Moon Lantern Festival

With a record 50,000 people attending in 2015, the official start to OzAsia has become a festival in itself! Held in Elder Park at dusk on the first night of the festival, this fun family-night sees the banks of the River Torrens lit up by hundreds of colourful lanterns in a parade that has become one of Adelaide's best loved events, with entertainment and food for all. Mark 17 September in your diary now so you don't miss it.

'Treasures Of The Nation' performs Adelaide Festival Centre 18 February.