Find Your Fire in The Year of The Dragon

Launch of the 10th Hill Street Family Resource Centre Lunar New Year Community Celebration

The highly anticipated Hill Street Family Resource Centre Lunar New Year Community celebration returns for its tenth year on Sunday, 11th February 2024 from 2pm. This family free event is brought to you by Hill Street Family Resource Centre (HSFRC) in collaboration with the North East Inner City initiative (NEIC).

There will be traditional interactive workshops with live performances from South East Asian Communities including a variety of entertainment, from food and drama to Tai Chi, Origami and Calligraphy. Open to all, there is something for everyone. The Lunar New Year will see Dublin’s North Inner City’s Hill Street transformed into an abundance of colour and festivity. 2024 celebrates the Year of the Dragon, a year of Growth, Abundance and Prosperity.

Launching the Festival, Jim Gavin, NEIC Chairperson commented, “It is a wonderful celebration for all involved at Hill Street Family Resource Centre. I am really looking forward to seeing Dublin’s Inner City transformed by a celebration of culture and diversity to ring in the Lunar New Year – The Year of the Dragon! There will be spectacular, colourful entertainment that includes the children and families in the North East Inner City. It is definitely an event not to be missed for all in the community”.

Eileen Smith, CEO of HSFRC, is delighted to be involved in the Lunar New Year Community Celebration on Hill Street again this year. “It is great to be able to continue this tradition ten years later, celebrating Asian culture and the Lunar New Year with all the families involved in our resource centre. It is always a fantastic weekend for everyone involved and we cannot wait to bring a burst of colour to Hill Street on Sunday 11th of February.”

Eileen continued “This community is incredibly close-knit, our staff, volunteers, and neighbours, have been preparing for this significant cultural event over the past few months. This event provides a space where diverse cultures are recognised. Celebrating diversity in our community is paramount to all of us here at the Centre. HSFRC believes that creating spaces that celebrate differences encourages meaningful integration for all.”

Everyone is invited to take part in this important festive and cultural celebration. Join us as we say goodbye to the Year of the Rabbit, and hello to the Year of the Dragon! Don’t miss the fantastic celebration of food, art, music and culture at the Lunar New Year Community Celebration from 2 pm to 7 pm, Sunday 11th February, on Hill Street in Dublin 1.

The 2024 Lunar New Year Community Celebration is organised by Hill Street Family Resource Centre, funded by the Government under the North East Inner City Initiative as part of its annual programme of community events, and is supported by Dublin City Council.


About Hill Street Family Resource Center

Hill Street Family Resource Centre, based in Hill Street Playground, Hill Street, Dublin 1, is an Intercultural Family Centre based in the North East Inner City of Dublin.

We work from a model of progressive universalism which is help for all and more help for those who need it. We work collaboratively on behalf of our children and families, providing the best possible supports to meet the needs of our families. On average, we have between 160 and 200 families attending programmes in the centre each week.  Of those families 70-80% are from migrant ethnic minorities. Hill Street FRC believes that friendships and social networks are important both for children and their families, making connections with other families can help families feel welcome and that they belong. Hill Street FRC is a vitally important meeting point for parents and carers that can lead to building long-term friendships and community supports.

Hill Street FRC’s programme consists of Parenting Programmes and supports, Adult, Child and Family Counselling, Parent and Child groups, Afterschool, Preparation for Preschool, Community Education and Community Supports.

Hill Street FRC is the only family centre working directly with both parents/caregivers and their children in Dublin 1. www.hillstreetfrc.ie

About the NEIC

The North East Inner City Initiative is the Government’s plan for the social and economic regeneration of Dublin’s North East Inner City.  www.neic.ie