According to the lunar calendar, 2016 is the Year of the Monkey and New Year's Eve falls on February 8, but the celebrations in Sydney will continue all month long.
The world's largest Lunar New Year festival outside Asia raised concerns last year with news that Sydney's annual dragon parade along George Street would be cancelled. The parade, which is an important tradition among Sydney's Chinese community, was cancelled due to the construction of the light rail on George Street and the unsuitability of alternative routes around Chinatown.
However, with Korean pop star concerts, craft workshops, food exhibitions and bespoke lantern trails planned for greater Sydney, a different beast has risen from the ashes.