Chinese Lunar New Year Celebrations at The Open University

This year, the Online Confucius Institute will be holding the annual Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations both in-person on campus in Milton Keynes for OU staff and graduate students as well as online for OU staff in other locations and the general public. We are excited to share the annual festivities across the UK and beyond for all to enjoy!

Please see below for further details. Please note, planning for 2026 is  currently underway and this page will be updated as further details are confirmed including the schedule, links to the live stream and registration form.

Joining the event in-person 

For OU Staff and graduate students - Milton Keynes campus, Hub Theatre, 1-3pm

Please join us on February 10th 1-3pm in the Hub Theatre, Milton Keynes campus for another joyous Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration. This year, there will be live performances of traditional Chinese music, Chinese fan dance, Tai Chi as well as workshop activities to try your hand at traditional painting, calligraphy and a session to make your own herbal sachet (spaces for this workshop are limited).

We will also have a selection of traditional Chinese snacks, hot spring rolls and refreshments for all to enjoy. To ensure we plan enough catering, please click on the following link to RSVP  Chinese Lunar New Year Celebrations 2026 – Fill in form. 

This year, we are running a charity raffle during the event to raise funds for Milton Keynes Food Bank. We have some lovely prizes to be won so please bring £1 to enter the raffle on the day! 

Joining the celebrations online  

For OU staff across the UK and the general public

This year, attendees can also join in online via a live stream link to enjoy the live performances in the first hour, 1-2pm  followed by some online painting and calligraphy activities for you to try remotely.  You will ideally need a brush, calligraphy ink and soft paper but if you don't have any ink, you can try with a small brush and paint. Afterwards, please feel free to share your creations on the padlet event page. 

To join online, please click here for the stadium link to watch live. 

Further information on the online calligraphy activities will be shared on this page soon. 

Please find the running order for the event below: