Over £8,000 has been raised, partly thanks to a big donation from a council-run fund, to make the even bigger than it has ever been
Newcastle could see a spectacular Chinese New Year parade next year thanks to a big crowdfunding effort.
More than £8,000 has been raised to make the annual celebration bigger and better than ever, with the total creeping ever closer to the £10,000 target.
The Chinese Festivity Group, which brings together various community and educational groups from across the city, has been organising events to celebrate the traditional holiday for 17 years.
But after three years of lower key celebrations due to financial restraints, this fundraising effort could see it become a major spectacle once again.
A parade between Old Eldon Square down to Chinatown has already been planned and organisers are promising it will be more extravagant than ever.
There are plans for dancers, drummers and floats, as well as the traditional drgaon and lion themed displays.
Sow Fong Cole, a founder member of the Chinese Festivity Group, said: "For the first time we are looking to revitalise the Chinese New Year celebrations and with the additional funding we are looking to set up a special Chinese New Year Parade and also help develop two new women's cultural programmes."
"The Parade will not only involve the Chinese community, as we would like to invite other national groups to take part as well, which will make it unique.
"We would like to welcome everybody to get involved. Potentially we are looking for the funding to help bring the community together during our annual festivities."
The fundraising effort has been boosted by a £5,000 donation from Crowdfund Newcastle Culture, which has recently received £50,000 from the Community Foundation to bolster its coffers.
Newcastle City Council's scheme helps fund cultural and artistic events, with fundraisers able to double what they earn through crowdfunding up to a value of £5,000 by applying for a donation from the pot of cash.
Councillor Kim McGuinness, Newcastle City Council's cabinet member for culture and communities, said: "This partnership scheme will open the doors for a great number of fantastic, creative projects from both individuals and groups in the Newcastle area.
"Opportunities like Crowdfund Newcastle Culture are a good example of how funding opportunities are being developed to allow a hands on approach to project planning, financing and development.
"The beauty of this scheme is that a wide variety of different arts and culture projects can be submitted for consideration hopefully resulting in more of them achieving their goals.
"We hope creatives and groups embrace this, and we look forward to seeing more exciting projects delivered in Newcastle."
Chinese NEw Year 2018 falls on February 16 and marks the beginning of the year of the dog accroding to the traditional zodiac.