IPOH, Feb 18 — The "Concubine Lane” tourist spot in Ipoh’s Old Town was made merrier today by the Chinese New Year celebrations organised by traders here.

Around 500 visitors including foreign tourists watched the various Chinese traditional and cultural activities put on display along the lane that is also known as San Nai Xiang street.

Visitors were also entertained by cultural performances such as a lion dance, a clown show, a metre-long dog-shaped "yee sang” and firecrackers show.

A man dressed up as the traditional Chinese God of Wealth distributes sweets and ‘Yee-sang’ to the visitors along Concubine Lane in Ipoh, February 18, 2018.

However, the highlight of the celebration was the dog parade, held to usher in the Year of the Dog.

Six poodles from the Go Go Bar poodle club dressed in traditional Chinese costumes plus one in a lion dance costume turned out to be crowd pleasers as visitors stopped to take pictures of the canines.

Event coordinator Jason Teo, 34, said the purpose of the festivities is to show there is more to Concubine Lane than just shopping.

"Some of the visitors, especially the locals felt that there is nothing to see in this tourist spot apart from the commercial activities and the buildings.

"Therefore, about 20 traders who are doing business along this Concubine Lane decided to organise cultural functions to show people that there are more things to see here,” he told reporters.

Visitors watch a lion dance performance along Concubine Lane in Ipoh February 18, 2018.

Teo added that this is the second time the traders have organised cultural events; they also held the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration last year.

Teo, who is the co-owner of the Ding Feng Teow Tau Fu Fa outlet here, said the traders are planning to do more events soon, and would expand to include the celebrations of other communities.

"Of course the majority of the traders here are Chinese, but people who visit this place are of many races.

"We are planning to do celebration as today for Hari Raya, Christmas and Deepavali.

"We will invite relevant groups to promote their culture and tradition during their festivals at here,” he said.