Almost 50,000 locals and visitors ushered in the Year of the Snake at Georges River Council's iconic Lunar New Year celebrations in Hurstville on Saturday 1 February 2025.
The largest Lunar New Year Festival in Sydney's South, this is the 22nd year the event has been hosted in the local area. The event was proudly funded by the NSW Government's Open Streets program led by Transport for NSW.
Special guests including NSW Premier The Honourable Chris Minns MP, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Member for Kingsford Smith, The Hon Matt Thistlethwaite who represented the Prime Minister, Member for Banks The Honourable David Coleman MP, Member for Oatley Mr Mark Coure MP and Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan joined Georges River Council Mayor Elise Borg for the Festival's official opening and traditional eye dotting ceremony.
The event featured a spectacular array of entertainment including lion dancing, stage and roving performances, God of Wealth red envelope giveaways for good luck and prosperity, cooking demonstrations and a smorgasbord of mouth-watering food options.
Council and Major Sponsor SBS selected Zhuzhu (Guiyong Zhu) from Taopic to create the 2025 Lunar New Year art mural. Celebrating the Year of the Snake, the mural symbolises transformation, resilience and unity. For the first time, the Lunar New Year mural was painted live with crowd participation in Westfield Hurstville, before being displayed at Interchange Park.
This year's event also included the addition of the New Local Business Precinct, which aimed to provide a long-term economic benefit to local business by providing the first Lucky Voucher Booklet, granting access to exclusive discounts from local businesses and encouraging visitors to return.
Georges River Council Mayor Elise Borg said, "Our Lunar New Year Festival never disappoints, and this year was no different.
"We had a record number of attendees, and it was truly wonderful to see everyone celebrate, participate in the festivities and welcome the Year of the Snake."
Georges River Council would like to thank Major Sponsors VJB Group, Entertainment Park, Chemist Warehouse and Westfield Hurstville for their support of the 2025 Lunar New Year Festival. Their invaluable contributions and dedication to the event played a vital role in its success.
We also extend our appreciation to Event Sponsors SBS Corporation, Asian Inspirations (Oriental Merchant), Optus, Club Central Hurstville and Humphrey's Hotel Hurstville for their generous support of the Festival.
