BBC reports London’s Chinese New Year celeration and parade:

Thousands of people have gathered to see in the Year of the Rat at Chinese New Year celebrations in London.

The festivities started with a two-hour parade of hundreds of performers including dragons, lions and dancers travelling through the West End.

The opening ceremony at Trafalgar Square featured Chinese dragons, martial arts, and traditional and contemporary music and dance.

London’s celebrations are the biggest outside Asia, community leaders say.

BBC reports the celeration in Birmingham

Hundreds of people have been celebrating Chinese New Year in Birmingham city centre.

The beginning of the Year of the Rat was marked by traditional displays of dragon dancing, kung fu and firecrackers at the Arcadian Centre.

It also included children’s dances, acrobatics and karaoke.

Please send your Chinese New Year celeration photos to us at uk@linkchinese.net.