February 1 is the official start date of the Lunar New Year which lasts for around 15 days – different Asian countries also have different celebratory time periods. In general, the eve of the Lunar New Year is most important ( the day before), and that’s where the different Asian communities who celebrate it practice their own cultural norms and traditions and there is usually a feast and some sort of reward for prosperity – e.g. lucky money etc given out to younger generations and the elderly etc. Lunar New Year is celebrated by the Chinese in China and all over the world (Malaysia, Singapore, the West etc), Vietnamese , Koreans, Tibetans, Taiwanese, Mongolians and Okinawans.
Oh, and 2022 is the “Year of the Tiger”!
So now that you have some background into the Lunar New Year, let’s get into the main purpose of this piece…
Korean Australian community and media platform, Kozziecom will celebrate Lunar New Year with a street festival to support businesses in Koreatown affected by the pandemic. The event promotes Korean-Australian creatives, supports Korean-Australian businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and provides a platform for emerging Korean-Australian artists.
The street festival will be held on Pitt Street in Sydney at the section known as “Koreatown”. Here are more details about the event:
WHAT? “Welcome to Koreatown” is a street festival event held as part of the City of Sydney’s Sydney Lunar Festival.
WHEN? Its a one day event held on 12 February
WHERE? Koreatown, Pitt Street, Sydney CBD
What is going to happen at the “Welcome to Koreatown” street festival:
- The one-day event will showcase 3D art installations, including a range of stalls from local streetwear brands, beauty products, and Korean baked goods. The event will conclude with an hour of Street Performances showcasing notable Korean-Australian rappers, singers and dancers;
- Inspired by the ‘Year of the Tiger’, the event will include an interactive art installation featuring the tiger – a prominent figure in Korean folklore;
- Digital Koreatown maps, created by a local Korean-Australian artist, will be available throughout the entire duration of the festival. The map will highlight notable Korean businesses within Koreatown such as Vecino, Sydney Madang Korean BBQ restaurant, Kim Sun Young, and The Nolza;
Jake Lee, Co-Founder of Vecino ( one of the few remaining Korean restaurants still in operation in the area), says this event will play a big role in supporting Korean-Australian businesses that have been set back by COVID-19 – very important to support!
“To gain support and exposure from events that can draw people into the CBD will help businesses like ours on many levels.”
Shona Yang, the founder of community group Kozziecom, hopes an upcoming event will facilitate a resurgence of young people back into Koreatown this Lunar New Year:
“We’re hosting a one-day street festival to support affected businesses in Koreatown and provide Korean-Australian creatives with a platform to share their work,”
Alex Wu, the founder of Aison Ander, said this event provides his streetwear business with a unique opportunity to get involved with the community.
“Having an opportunity to reconnect with our community, and to have a bigger platform to tell our brand story at scale will be a really significant and important opportunity for us as we try and build this brand – one that focuses on this intersection between Korean & Australian culture.”
The festival is COVID safe, so please remember to wear your face mask and have your bottles of hand sanitiser in your possession! If you are in Sydney, please go and attend the event to support our fellow Korean Australian community!~
Images provided by Kozziecom