Dublin will have no official celebration of the Chinese new year this weekend after funding and organisational problems forced the discontinuance of the city's Chinatown festival.
In spite of the success of Chinese new year festivals held in the north inner city in 2004 and 2005, organisers have decided not to go ahead with this year's celebration. Sunday marks the beginning of the "Year of the Dog" in the Chinese calendar.
Dr Catherine Chan-Mullen, of the Irish Chinese Information Centre, said they had decided to "give the festival a rest" this year until funding problems had been sorted out.
Dublin City Council provided the festival with financial and administrative backing over the past two years, but declined to provide ongoing support. Dr Chan-Mullen is hoping the council will reconsider its position and provide funding next year. More support from the Chinese business community and from companies with business links in China was also needed.
Last year's festival budget was about €550,000, of which €70,000 came from the council's Dublin City Development Board. The rest came from admission fees, stallholders' fees and other sponsorship. Peter Finnegan, director of the board, said the festival had been run "on a wing and a prayer" and the board had ended up bearing the administrative burden.
"We developed the concept of a festival because we want the city to celebrate a diversity of cultures. However, we're not in the business of running festivals and we didn't have the resources to continue the commitment."
The 2004 event, which attracted up to 100,000 to Smithfield, was so successful it caused health and safety concerns about overcrowding. The following year, the festival was moved to Collins Barracks and admission fees were levied, but the event still attracted up to 50,000.
Several smaller-scale events are being held. There will be a Chinese lion dancing event at St Stephen's Green tomorrow afternoon, while the Chinese Irish Cultural Academy will give a performance of Chinese dance at Chief O'Neill's hotel in Smithfield at 1pm. On Wednesday, there will be a lecture on Chinese new year customs at the United Arts Club in Dublin.
