This week, many residents in our City will celebrate Lunar New Year, one of the most important cultural events in South East Asia.
Whether you observe this celebration with your family or not, it is a great opportunity for us all to look forward and plan for the future.
The Year of the Monkey signifies a number of things for many people in our community. The Monkey is known to be ambitious and adventurous, which reflects a number of the large projects we will be undertaking in 2016, including the Prairiewood Water Park and seeing the completion of the amazing Dutton Lane redevelopment.
Celebrations have begun across Fairfield City. I attended a number of events over the weekend including the Canley Heights celebration, which was patronised by thousands of residents and visitors to our City. It was amazing to see so many people from different backgrounds coming together to take part in this vibrant event. The dragon dance and lion dance are always crowd favourites, and the fireworks capped off a great night.
The celebrations continue this weekend in Cabramatta with a two-day festival bringing Freedom Plaza to life with family friendly entertainment on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 February. From 9am to 4pm each day there will be plenty to see, do and eat throughout Cabramatta, with live entertainment on stage including Curious George, the world's favourite monkey.
This year we are excited to welcome some new attractions to the Cabramatta Lunar New Year event, including the Feathered Friends free flight bird show which will thrill crowds with their amazing demonstrations. The giant gold wishing tree is also a first for Cabramatta and will be installed for families to write down their wishes for the New Year and hang them on this beautiful tree.
Crowd favourite competitions including the one-handed prawn peeling and the children's chopstick challenge are back again in 2016, as well as the lion dances, fashion parades and much more.
Visit the Council website to see the event program and find out more. I look forward to celebrating Lunar New Year with you all in Cabramatta this weekend.
I hope you and your family have good health and prosperity in 2016, the Year of the Monkey.
