Manchester road closures for Chinese New Year celebrations

The closures will affect Manchester city centre from February 14 to 15 to support the Lunar New Year Fair and Dragon Parade.

Areas in and around Chinatown, as well as key parts of the parade route, will also be affected.

Nicholas Street, St James Street, and Faulkner Street will be closed from 5am on February 14 until 11.59pm on February 15.

Streets closed only on February 15 include Reyner Street, Charlotte Street, George Street, Chain Street, Back George Street, and Pine Street.

Additional closures along the parade route will be in effect from 10am to 3pm on February 15.

Affected roads include Peter Street (Mount Street to Lower Mosley Street, with a soft closure at Peter Street/Deansgate), Oxford Street (Peter Street to Whitworth Street West), and Portland Street (Chepstow Street to Chorlton Street).

Other streets affected include Princess Street (Major Street to Cooper Street), George Street (Oxford Street to Princess Street), St James Street (Oxford Street to Princess Street), and portions of Faulkner Street and Dickinson Street.

Mike Thompson, chief operating officer at Leasing Options, said: “There are two key events taking place.

“The Manchester Lunar New Year Fair is a vibrant weekend market with performances and food on February 14 to 15, taking over Market Street, Exchange Square, and New Cathedral Street.

“While the Manchester Dragon Parade is being celebrated on February 15.”

While the weekend is filled with red lanterns, music, and family-friendly activities, major traffic congestion is expected in cities hosting celebrations.

Chinese New Year falls on February 17, and across the UK, cities will host a weekend of festivities to mark the event, also known as the Spring Festival and Lunar New Year.