Light up the new year in Singapore

Holidaymakers who love a good party should join the Chinese New Year celebrations at the Light-Up festival in Singapore.

The festival stretches across January and February and sees the streets of Chinatown decorated with a plethora of lights and displays to mark the beginning of the lunar new year.

With 2007 designated as the year of the pig, expect to see the animal given visual prominence in many of the celebrations, which include the Chingay parade, which consists of a huge procession of colourful floats, bands and performers, as well as the traditional dance of the lion and dragon.

Visitors to Singapore will also be able to enjoy a special street bazaar selling a range of traditional festive foods, jewellery and souvenirs, while on the outskirts of Chinatown, shoppers can also peruse and buy flowers and plants that are used in Chinese new year celebrations.

At night, revellers watch a number of cultural performances in Kreta Ayer Square and on the eve of the first day of the new year, a massive street party counts down to a spectacular fireworks display.

For more information, see Singapore's Chinese new year website.

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