DUBAI, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Dubai announced on Wednesday the 2018 Dubai Spring Festival Grand Parade would be held Friday on the occasion of the Chinese New Year celebration.

The parade is announced by Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Dubai, Li Lingbing, in partnership with United Arab Emirates (UAE) developer Meraas and Dubai Police.

Li and Osama Al Ayoub, the Chief Executive Officer at Meraas and Colonel Jasim Khalil Mirza, director of the Security Awareness Department of Dubai Police, announced the parade will take place at Dubai's City Walk Friday.

The parade will witness around 30 parading groups, consisting of over 1,000 visiting Chinese, expatriates and international friends, along with the Dubai Police band.

Showcasing Chinese arts, traditions and culture, the grand parade will include ethnic costumes and traditional art forms, such as Tai Chi, Peking opera, acrobatics and fairy tales.

Moreover, in line with the traditions of giving away red packets during Chinese New Year, 10,000 small gifts decorated with Chinese characteristics will be distributed during the parade.

"The Spring Festival is of great significance to the Chinese people and is the most important traditional festival in our calendar, akin to the importance of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in the region," said Li.

She added that this year's celebration in Dubai could be record-breaking.

Dubai, the business and trade metropolis of the United Arab Emirates, will also see celebrations at various locations including Dubai Parks and Resorts, Al Seef, La Mer, Dubai Airport, Boxpark, The Outlet Village, Dubai Design District, The Beach and Dubai Mall, the Consul General added.

The UAE is home to over 270,000 Chinese residents and over 4,000 firms from China.