HUNDREDS of people will turn Oxford Town Hall into a sea of colour, music and dance for Chinese New Year.

More than 700 revellers are expected to pack into the hall to welcome in the Year of the Rabbit, with an evening of traditional Chinese entertainment on Friday. Among the performers will be, from left, musicians Meng Pan, 22, Zichen Zhang, 24, and Tiantian He, 20.

The trio will be performing with traditional Chinese instruments, some of which date back 2,000 years.

Mr Zhang, a student at Oxford University, said: “This is my first New Year in Oxford. I usually spend New Year with my family, but this year will be a bit different.” He added: “It is very strange at first, because when you go outside in China at this time, all you can see are red decorations. But we’re really happy to have this gala to celebrate with all our friends.”

Organiser Eric Liu, from the Oxford Students’ and Scholars’ Association, said: “Tickets for this event have sold out, which is fantastic and means there should be a great atmosphere. We are also hoping to share a bit of our culture with the people of Oxford.”

Tickets cost £10 and are available by emailing 2011spring.festival@gmail.com or on the door. The New Year actually starts on Thursday.