Carlsberg CNY 2020 Celebration @ Plaza Arkadia, Desa Park City
In January 2020, I joined Carlsberg Malaysia’s Chinese New Year celebration at Plaza Arkadia, Desa Park City. Themed “Double Cheers. Double Winnings.”, it marked the year 2020 and the Chinese saying that good things come in pairs. More than 350 guests turned up for an evening of lion dancing, Yee Sang and a casual steamboat and barbecue spread.
Festive Cans and Bottles
Carlsberg’s CNY packaging that year was inspired by traditional Chinese red paper cutting. The designs featured fish, which symbolise abundance, and lion dancers for prosperity, and they appeared on both Carlsberg and Carlsberg Smooth Draught cans and bottles. The star of the night was a limited-edition 3-litre Carlsberg bottle, which drew plenty of attention from passers-by.
Lion Dance and Yee Sang
The evening opened with an acrobatic lion dance that drew a crowd from around the plaza. Then came the Yee Sang toss, a must for any Malaysian Chinese New Year gathering. Everyone tosses the colourful raw-fish salad as high as they can with their chopsticks while shouting wishes for the year ahead, because the higher the toss, the better the luck.
Steamboat and BBQ
Dinner was a relaxed mix of steamboat and grilled barbecue skewers, which suits a cold beer perfectly. Steamboat is a big part of CNY reunion meals in Malaysia, since everyone sits around one pot and cooks together, so it was a fitting choice for a festive get-together.
Final Thoughts
It was a cheerful, very Malaysian way to welcome the new year: lion dance, a good Yee Sang toss and food shared around the table. If you are hosting your own reunion this year, steamboat and a few skewers on the grill make an easy, crowd-pleasing menu.
