But it will not stop members of the Dunedin Chinese community from celebrating the Chinese lunar New Year tomorrow with as much noise and vigour as possible.
Dunedin City Council events team leader Marilyn Anderson said this year's celebrations would begin in the Octagon tomorrow at 7.15pm with members of the Dunedin Chinese Student Scholar Association staging a Dragon Parade, led by the Senior Chinese Drummers.
They would travel along Princes St and Rattray St to the Dunedin Chinese Garden, where spectators would be met with a cacophony of crackers going off on the Pai Lau.
The Lion would then be awoken by members of the Otago Southland Chinese Association, and the next two hours would be filled with continuous entertainment, including music, dance, giant yo-yos, a traditional Chinese harp, and a red silk fan dance.
"It will be loud, vigorous and full of colour - all with a distinctly Chinese flavour."
During the evening, the garden would be open to the public for a gold-coin donation, Mrs Anderson said.
The evening would conclude at 10pm with a fireworks display.
Celebrations will continue in the Chinese Garden on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with tai chi in the courtyard, children's activities, traditional Chinese tea ceremonies, poetry readings, guided tours of the garden, stories of the Chinese New Year, a calligraphy class and traditional Chinese games.
Mrs Anderson said highlights of the celebrations would be an evening with Chinese Garden expert Diana Magdin on Friday (7pm-9pm); a talk about Pen Jing (the ancient Chinese style of growing miniature trees and landscapes) on Saturday (3pm-4pm), and a cooking demonstration with a traditional Chinese chef on Sunday (7pm-9pm).
