Nine joyful photos of Birmingham Mid Autumn Festival in Chinatown

Birmingham’s Chinatown was ablaze with colour last at the weekend as a cultural festival arrived in the heart of the much-loved district.

The spectacular event took place at Birmingham Conference and Events Centre on Sunday, October 1, hosted by the Chinese Festival Committee to mark the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn festival.

Dancing, dragons and dim sum kept visitors entertained throughout the day, culminating in the grand finale of a special banquet during the evening.

Younger guests enjoyed a complimentary children’s workshop, courtesy of Win Yip Supermarket, with lantern marking, face-painting and fan making. Other activities included the art of Chinese calligraphy and an ‘open-school’ which taught festival-goers simple Chinese phrases.

James Wong, owner of Chung Ying restaurant and organiser of the festival said: “The Mid-Autumn Festival is a very important date on the Chinese calendar and represents the reunion of families. Mooncakes are the traditional dessert of the festival as it’s about marking the fullest moon of the year.

“It was wonderful to see so many people celebrating the Chinese traditions and getting into the spirit of the festival– the lion dance workshop in particular proved a big hit with visitors of all ages!

“I would like to thank all organisers and visitors for making the event one to remember. This was all made possible thanks to the kind support of our sponsors, Wing Yip and Chinese Festival Committee”

The committee are very much looking forward to pulling out all the stops next year for the Lunar New Year celebrations on Sunday, February 11 2024 to mark the Year of the Dragon