Bicester Village hosted a special Chinese New Year celebration on February 6th, highlighting cross cultural exchange at a UK Fashion Landmark.
The renowned UK shopping destination Bicester Village’s annual Chinese New Year celebration brought together distinguished guests from diplomatic, tourism, and business sectors to mark the festival in a vibrant atmosphere.
As a key annual event, the celebration continues to demonstrate Bicester Village’s strong commitment to international visitors, particularly from Asian markets.
The celebration took place at Cecconi’s restaurant within Bicester Village. Among the distinguished guests in attendance were VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates, European Tourism Association CEO Tom Jenkins, Philippine Ambassador to the UK Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Madam Louie, Indonesian Ambassador to the UK Desra Percaya and Madam Sari, Datin Aini, wife of the Malaysian Ambassador, Oxfordshire High Sheriff John May OBE, Thai Embassy Minister Counsellor (Commercial) Jirakarn Bejrajati, Minister (Trade) at the High Commission of Malaysia Hafiz Jalil, Liu Mopei, Sales Manager of the London Office of China Southern Airlines, Xu Jingyan, Global Director of Public Affairs at OPPO, as well as representatives from local government, the business community, and student groups.
Patricia Yates, CEO of VisitBritain, had just returned from a visit to China accompanying UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. She noted that the visit marked a warming of UK–China relations and expressed her sincere hope that both countries would continue to maintain and deepen their partnership. “China brings us high-quality visitors who play a vital role in promoting tourism and cultural exchange. In the Year of the Horse, symbolizing confidence and vitality, we look forward to even closer cooperation with China,” she said.
John Durnin, Business Director of Bicester Village, extended New Year greetings to guests. He noted that the village attracts approximately 7.3 million shoppers annually, many of whom come from China and Southeast Asia. With more than 160 international boutique stores, Bicester Village is a key stop for international visitors to the UK. He expressed hope that by combining aesthetics with thoughtful hospitality, the Village would enable global visitors to experience the warmth of Lunar New Year culture while shopping.
Champa Selim, Business Development Director for Greater China and Southeast Asia at Bicester Village, introduced a range of concierge services designed to provide a more convenient and personalized shopping experience. These include refreshments and lounge facilities in private VIP apartments, personal shopping by appointment, hands-free shopping, virtual shopping services, and a membership rewards program.
The celebration featured a rich array of Lunar New Year cultural elements and interactive sessions. Indonesian Ambassador Desra Percaya performed the saxophone live, joining a young singer in presenting the classic Chinese song The Moon Represents My Heart, demonstrating music’s unique ability to transcend cultural boundaries.
During this year’s Spring Festival period, Bicester Village created an immersive festive experience by blending art and retail. International brands including AMI Paris, BOSS, Vivienne Westwood, Canada Goose, Max Mara, and Sandro incorporated Lunar New Year motifs into their window displays and spring collections, using red elements and zodiac themes to convey the festive spirit.
The Village also partnered with brands to launch exclusive seasonal experiences. Fortnum & Mason introduced limited-edition New Year gift boxes; Brunello Cucinelli released a Lunar New Year capsule collection; Burberry invited a calligrapher to add an elegant cultural touch to the shopping experience; and Bang & Olufsen collaborated with contemporary Chinese artist Jacky Tsai to launch a Year of the Horse limited-edition speaker and art salon events, elevating shopping into a journey of cultural encounter. The Village also offered customized gold ribbons with personalized greetings in guests’ native languages, along with exclusive gift-wrapping services.
With over 160 luxury boutiques, Bicester Village remains one of the leading shopping destinations for international visitors to the UK. In recent years, the village has further enhanced the visitor experience through multilingual services, personalised shopping programmes, and premium concierge offerings.
The event also partnered with China Southern Airlines, OPPO, Hyatt Regency London- The Churchill, and Milk Cars to offer prize draws and exclusive guest experiences, strengthening cross sector collaboration between tourism and commerce.
In addition to the UK celebrations, The Bicester Collection launched coordinated Chinese New Year programmes across multiple international locations, including Milan, Barcelona, Germany and New York, where artistic installations, cultural activities and festive experiences reflected the globalisation of Chinese New Year and the growing integration of retail with cultural exchange.
Written by Shiyi Ye. If you like this article, why not read: Chinese New Year Events in London 2026
