THE sun shone on a lively, colourful parade and gala marking the Chinese New Year in Bangor.

Hundreds of people gathered to watch the annual dragon parade as it wound through the city centre on Saturday, February 24.

The event is organised by the Bangor University’s Confucius Institute. This year the festivities celebrate the 2018 Chinese Year of the Dog.

Pupils from Our Lady’s School joined performers from the Confucius Institutes at Bangor University and London South Bank University for a display of Chinese culture throughout the afternoon.

A Chinese dragon wound its way along Bangor High Street accompanied by dancers and drummers, with a performance of Chinese song and dance to follow in Bangor Cathedral.

The Dean of Bangor Cathedral, Reverend Kathy Jones commented:

“We are delighted to be able to host this fantastic community event in Bangor Cathedral this year.

"It’s a great way to bring people together in the cold winter months to learn more about the world and the traditions of other cultures.”

The dragon parade will left Bangor Cathedral at 12pm and made its way along the High Street to the Town Clock and back again,.

The free gala took place inside the cathedral from 12.30pm until 2pm.

Special guests on the day included the Mayor of the City, Councillor Derek Hainge, Vice Chancellor of Bangor University Professor John Hughes, and local actress Angharad Rhodes, best known for her leading role in the CBeebies television series Melody.

The Confucius Institute’s event follows on from Pontio’s Wales-China Festival held over the previous weekend, which celebrated Chinese New Year with a weekend of performances, films, live music and family friendly activities.

More information about the Confucius Institute’s events can be found at: www.bangor.ac.uk/confucius-institute.