Party could be crowded out of Chinatown

An estimated 275,000 people were in Trafalgar Square and Soho for the day- long celebrations to mark the start of the Year of the Pig.

Organisers have revealed they may move the venue next year to cope with the ever-growing numbers.

Yesterday's total for the celebrations - said to be the biggest of their kind outside China - were up by a third on last year.

At one point the volume forced police to stop people entering Chinatown for an hour.

Deputy festival director Susannah Qwok said: "We are running out of space in Trafalgar Square because more and more people are coming along.

"It is possible we will have to move to Hyde Park but we would like to keep the celebrations close to Chinatown. We have plans to make the festival even bigger. I have already started organising next year's and am talking to more commercial sponsors. We would like to run a full stage programme."

Yesterday's event started with a colourful procession through The Strand and Rupert Street with dancers and performers banging drums and throwing firecrackers on the floor.

Trafalgar Square was then filled with red lanterns, lion dances, foodstalls, and silk string performances on the main stage while two fireworks displays were held in Leicester Square.

Kun Liu, a 22-year-old computingand statistics student, from Nan Jing, near Shanghai, said: "The lion dance was the best thing I've seen. It's very hard to do for the two people inside the costume. It takes at least 10 years to train for. I tried it once and it was impossible.

"I came to London two years ago and didn't realise Chinese new year was such a big celebration here. It's really impressive."

Jessica Sun, 27, a journalist from Beijing, has lived in London for six months. She said: "I've enjoyed all the Chinese new year celebrations very much. It is very similar to what you would see in China." The celebrations coincide with the final phase of a £2 million makeover of Chinatown, home to 80 restaurants.

Work already completed includes the repaving of Gerrard Street with Chinese granite. Plans for the first Beijing- crafted gate to be installed outside China were announced last week.

If approved, the 12-metre structure, costing about £750,000, would span Wardour Street. As part of Chinese new year, a season of cultural Chinese events will run until next month.