Sovereign Hill saddles up for Lunar New Year

SOME very special equine characters are preparing to help celebrate the Lunar New Year at Sovereign Hill.

The fact that 2026 is the Year of the Horse means some resident big personalities will get to play a particularly special part in the celebrations that are in store for 21-22 February.

The local landmark attraction has long celebrated the Lunar New Year, a major event on many Asian calendars including the Chinese, who were a significant part of the gold rush era scene in Ballarat and the region’s goldfields.

The special annual event will again be celebrated with Lion dancing, traditional Chinese music and decorations, a parade led by a garlanded resident Clydesdale horse, and more.

“The Chinese were a really important part of the Goldfields here in the 1800s,” Sovereign Hill manager of programming and events Lucy McNeil said.

“We’ve been celebrating the Lunar New Year annually here now for about 20 years.

“We work in conjunction with the Chinese Australian Cultural Society Ballarat, and because it’s the Year of The Horse this year we also get to celebrate our beautiful horses as well.”

Mark Hemetsberger, chief marketing officer at Sovereign Hill, said the Lunar New Year celebrations offered an opportunity to check out Sovereign Hill’s Chinese Protectorate Camp site and learn more about the history of the Chinese on the goldfields.

“It’s a really cool event,” he said.

Lunar New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese festivals and is celebrated by Asian cultures throughout the world.

Seen as a time of renewal, it is also known as Spring Festival in China.

The Chinese New Year of the Horse begins on 17 February. The seventh sign in the Chinese zodiac, the horse symbolises perception and power.