On 22 February 2026, a Chinese New Year celebration organised by the London Chinatown Chinese Association (LCCA) was held with great fanfare at Trafalgar Square. Zheng Zeguang, Chinese Ambassador to the UK; Chu Ting Tang, Chairman of the LCCA; Debbie Weekes-Bernard, Deputy Mayor of London; Paul Dimoldenberg, Lord Mayor of Westminster; Rachel Blake, Member of Parliament; and Fang Wenjian, Chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK, addressed the opening ceremony. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper sent congratulatory messages to the occasion. The event attracted nearly one million people.
In his remarks, Ambassador Zheng extended New Year greetings for the Year of the Horse to fellow Chinese compatriots, overseas Chinese and friends from all walks of life in the UK. He thanked the LCCA for organising the annual flagship event, noting that the Trafalgar Square celebration is the largest Chinese New Year event outside Asia. The gathering to celebrate the Year of the Horse and enjoy performances by Chinese and British artists fully reflects the achievements of cultural exchange and the friendship between the two peoples.
Ambassador Zheng pointed out that people-to-people exchanges between China and the UK are becoming more frequent and the bond between the two peoples is growing closer. In 2025, Chinese tourists made 800,000 trips to the UK, while over 600,000 British tourists travelled to China. On 17 February, China began implementing a unilateral visa-free policy for the UK, allowing British citizens to enter China without a visa for family visits, business and tourism. He invited British friends to explore China’s magnificent landscapes, meet its great people, experience its rich culture, and promote mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.
After the opening ceremony, Ambassador Zheng and his wife, Counsellor Hua Mei, visited London’s Chinatown to extend festive greetings to the local Chinese community.
In his remarks, Chairman Tang thanked all parties for their strong support and affirmed the LCCA’s commitment to ensuring the continued success of the Chinese New Year celebration and other traditional cultural events and to making new contributions to the prosperity of the Chinese community and the people-to-people friendship between China and the UK. In their remarks, Deputy Mayor Weekes-Bernard, Lord Mayor Dimoldenberg and MP Blake spoke highly of the outstanding contributions made by the British Chinese community to local economic and social development and cultural diversity.
The event featured a spectacular cultural programme, beginning with a breathtaking “Plum Blossom Pole” lion dance, followed by mighty displays including dragon dance from Zhejiang and Ansai waist drum performance from Shaanxi. Chinese artists from the “Festival of Spring” art troupe, the “Happy Spring Festival” art troupe and the Zhejiang Wuju Opera Troupe performed alongside local London artists for more than five hours, drawing rounds of applause and cheers from the audience. Street parades in areas surrounding Trafalgar Square attracted large crowds, filling central London with a vibrant festive atmosphere.
