Free parking to celebrate Lunar New Year in Wokingham town

Wokingham Borough Council is offering free parking for residents to join a Lunar New Year event, celebrating the start of a new year in Chinese and many other Asian cultures.

The Lunar New Year celebration organized by Wokingham Town Council will return to Wokingham Market Place on Sunday 9 February. Visitors driving into town during the event can park for free at all borough-owned car parks. 

Funding for this one-off offer was originally meant to support the Wokingham Winter Carnival on 24 November 2024. As the event was cancelled due to inclement weather, the council has decided to extend the offer to an upcoming celebration in town. 

Support businesses in our towns

Cllr Mark Ashwell, executive member for economic development, sport, leisure and the arts of Wokingham Borough Council, said, “Despite our challenging financial situation, we remain committed to supporting businesses in our towns. We hope offering free parking will provide a boost to the local economy and support stallholders.

"Large events, such as this Lunar New Year celebration organized by the town council, are vital for bringing footfall that benefits local traders. We encourage businesses to fully utilize this offer to draw in additional customers.

“We’d like to thank the town council for organising this celebration, which provides a wonderful opportunity for us to come together as a community and enjoy the festivities.

“Supporting the event is also part of our ongoing effort to promote equality, diversity and inclusion across our borough, where everyone feels welcome and belongs. Support us by sharing your views through a short survey before it closes on 19 January to help shape our new Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion strategy."

Councillor Barrie Callender, chair of Wokingham Town Council’s Arts and Culture Committee, said, “We are delighted to once again celebrate Lunar New Year in style in Wokingham with the iconic Lion Dance, musical performances by local Hong Kong groups, and arts and crafts marking the Year of the Snake. All our partners are passionate in sharing their culture and traditions and our street food vendors will be giving you a taste of food from across East Asia."

Car parks available for free parking include:

• Carnival Pool multi-storey carpark
• Cockpit Path
• Denmark Street (access from old Wokingham Library only on the event day)
• Easthampstead Road (East and West)
• Rose Street
• Shute End

How it will work

Parking will be free of charge from 10pm on the Saturday evening (8 February) prior to the event date at the car parks listed above.

There will be no requirement to pay or get a free ticket by the RingGo parking app or at the ticket machines until 6am on the Monday morning (10 February) after the event date.

Both RingGo and the ticket machines will remain fully operational over this period. You will be charged, if you use either. Refunds will not be available for any payments made during the free parking period.

Funding from UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The £4,200 support for free car parking for the Lunar New Year celebration is being funded with money the council has from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus.