AFTER attending and enjoying the Chinese kite display last weekend, my family and I were very much looking forward to the Chinese New Year celebrations in Museum Gardens, York, on Sunday.

There had been a great deal of publicity, so we turned up in time for the advertised 3pm start. To our disappointment there were no stalls apart from face-painting and a stall selling water bottle covers.

The Lion Dance was due to start at 3.25pm, but the dancers did not get on stage until 3.45pm, by which time we were so cold and fed up that we left, together with a steady stream of other people.

Unless you were standing at the front of the crowd you couldn't see what was happening. There was no announcement forthcoming that the dancers would be delayed and while the giant dragon was very impressive (the children really did put in a lot of hard work to make it and it showed), there were only so many times it could go round the crowd and occupy the many children who were becoming bored, cold and tired.

This event was an excellent opportunity to promote cultural diversity in York by having stalls demonstrating Chinese crafts, cookery, art, etc, but there was a complete lack of any of these.

The art work on display was interesting, but we were unable to see most of it very well due to the crowds and the stage being in the way.

We left Museum Gardens cold and very disappointed. What could have been an interesting and pleasurable day turned out to be a complete waste of time.

Mrs L Wigley,

Reighton Drive,

Rawcliffe,

York.

Updated: 10:11 Thursday, February 02, 2006