Watch out for the 'rats' in Chinatown

Preparations to welcome the Year of the Rat are in full swing in Chinatown. Its streets will be lined with 1,388 lanterns, including 200 with rat motifs designed by 13 students from the Singapore University of Technology and Design. For the first time, the Chinese New Year celebrations will focus on paying homage to Cantonese culture as the dialect group was among the biggest to live in Chinatown years ago. Fans of traditional Cantonese opera and food are in for a treat. On Jan 5, a medley of classics will be performed at Kreta Ayer People's Theatre from 7pm to 10.30pm, with ticket prices per seat at $20, $30 and $50. A tour of the area's heritage and food trails will be conducted from 2.30pm to 5pm on Jan 5, 11, 12, 18 and 19. It will include tasting classic Cantonese fare, such as soya sauce chicken, lotus root soup and yam cake, from five famous hawker stalls at Chinatown Complex Food Centre, at $15 a ticket. Tickets for the events can be bought at Kreta Ayer Community Club.