Sydney street parties to draw crowds

By Karl Wilson in Sydney

The Australian city of Sydney boasts one of the biggest Lunar New Year festivals outside Asia.

More than 1.4 million people are expected to welcome the Year of the Pig during the city's celebrations, which will begin on Feb 1 and run until Feb 10.

In the vibrant and bustling Chinatown quarter alone－the heart of the festivities－around 300,000 visitors are expected to delight in the sights and sounds of traditional Chinese culture while welcoming in a new year full of prosperity and good luck.

Sydney Lunar Festival will welcome tourists from around the world, as well as Sydney's multicultural Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, and Malaysian communities, to celebrate the Year of the Pig.

The festivities are scattered around Sydney, from Chinatown and Darling Harbour in the center, to the northeastern suburb of Chatswood and Cabramatta in Sydney's southwest.

What was once a celebration confined to Sydney's Chinatown has now become a major event on the city's social calendar and is enjoyed by all Sydney residents.