Congratulations and thank you to Mayor Darcy Byrne, General Manager Peter Gainsford and all the team at Inner West Council for putting on such fantastic celebrations of the Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, is celebrated by Central and South-East Asian diaspora all over the world, with a significant community here in the inner west. It has origins that can be traced back around 3,500 years to ancient China and the festival holds deep importance in Chinese culture. Welcoming in the Year of the Snake there was a fun and exciting program of events that covered lion dancing, drum performances, lantern and painting workshops. The Dusk Parade was a particular highlight. The Year of the Snake is associated with rebirth, regeneration and the pursuit of love and happiness. One of the many great features of living in the inner west is our vibrant and lively culture and celebrating the many important milestones and traditions from all our diverse backgrounds. Thank you to all the team at Inner West Council and all the people who held events and contributed to making the year's celebrations so wonderful.