Shoppers can get a taste of the Orient this weekend with a host of spectacular celebrations to mark the start of Chinese New Year.

This Saturday, Basildon's Eastgate Centre will be staging a range of displays and dances to mark the beginning of the year of the monkey.

The highlight will be a lion dance that snakes its way through the mall, visiting over a hundred stores along the way.

Eastgate promotions manager Mike Horton said: "We are always delighted to share in the fun of such a cultural event, which has been described as being among the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside Asia."

It starts at 11.30am.

Published Thursday January 22, 2004

Brought to you by the Evening Echo