A giant dragon puppet brought joy and a festive spirit to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Romford BID celebrated The Year of the Dragon with a range of free events Romford's town centre on Saturday (February 10) between 12pm and 4pm.

Crowds enjoyed performances including two traditional Chinese lion performers, one full size spectacular dragon, show-stopping stilt walkers and dramatic dolly head performances. 

Visitors enjoyed live music, drumming performances and children got their faces painted by talented artists.

Chinese food was on offer from Wokabout in the market, and the teams at Sunrise Café and Pearl of the Orient within the Romford Shopping Hall handed out free Chinese red New Year money envelopes and fortune cookies.

Romford Recorder: Children and adults enjoyed a Chinese New Year event organised by Romford BID complete with dragon and lucky red envelopesChildren and adults enjoyed a Chinese New Year event organised by Romford BID complete with dragon and lucky red envelopes (Image: Sandra Rowse)

According to the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is considered a symbol of strength, courage, and good fortune.

Julie Frost Romford BID director said: "We wanted to raise the bar even more in 2024 and arrange a far greater array of roaming entertainment that would really wow our visitors.

"We are especially proud to hold events that celebrate different cultures 
and help bring our community even closer together."