With larger than life lions and colourful displays, the Chinese New Year is set to get the party started. To mark the arrival of the Year of the Monkey, we look at where you can find monkey business going on across Kent.

Feel like monkeying around? Head to Howletts Wild Animal Park, where you can see some 16 types of the weird and wonderful monkeys. Spot the lion tailed macaques or the dusky langurs and marvel at the red bellied tamarins and spot nosed guenons. The park, near Canterbury, also has 16 types of lovely lemurs, including black and white ruffed lemurs and crowned Lemurs.

At Port Lympne Reserve you can see 10 different types from Guinea baboons and black howler monkeys to Javan gibbons and critically-endangered drill monkeys. There are also lots of lemurs, including greater bamboo lemurs, lesser bamboo lemurs and mongoose lemurs.

The Aspinall Foundation which runs both sites, works hard to conserve the animals, especially with the Javan langurs and Javan gibbons. Many of these species born here in Kent are sent back to the wild in Indonesia, under its Javan Primate Project.

For details of both, go to www.aspinallfoundation.org or call 01227 721286 for Howletts and 01303 264647 for Port Lympne.

MONKEY BUSINESS

The Year of the Monkey runs from Monday, February 8 to Wednesday, January 27, 2017.
Every 12 years there is a Monkey year. People born in a year of the Monkey are witty, intelligent, and have a magnetic personality but can also be mischievous and naughty. They are masters of practical jokes.
Lucky Monkey numbers are four and nine and lucky colours are white, blue and gold.

GO WILD

Want to go wild for some outdoor adventure?

Embrace your inner primate and head for one of the two Go Ape attractions in Kent where the sky’s the limit. You can climb to the treetops and fling yourself around like Tarzan.
At Leeds Castle, there’s a 250m long zip wire with views of the North Downs, as well as a junior adventure for six to 12-year-olds. When you’re done swinging from tree to tree, you can take a trip around the castle, or head for the maze for some ground-based fun.
At the Bedgebury, near Goudhurst, there are high ropes, crossings and a zip wire, with the Tree Top Junior adventure too. If you have the nerve, you’ll negotiate crossings and finish on a high (literally) with an awesome zip wire.

When you’re aped-out, there are walks and cycle trails to try out around the pinetum.
For details go to goape.co.uk

YOUR LITTLE MONKEYS

Take your little monkeys to somewhere they can let off steam safely.
Medway’s Monkey Bizz indoor soft play centre has been offering a fun-filled family day out for more than 18 years and caters for tots through to 12-year-olds.
The centre in Chaucer Close on the Medway City Estate, Strood, also has a creche; Roller Bizz for teenagers with a resident DJ, a café and a gym.
Visit www.medwaybizz.co.uk or call 01634 717788 for details.

WILD LIFE

At Wingham Wildlife Park near Canterbury, you’ll be spoilt for monkey magic, with some animals including vervet monkeys and squirrel monkeys to the agile gibbon and the barbary macaque.
You can find out all about the animals, including what they like to do for fun and whether they make friends, by visiting winghamwildlifepark.co.uk

At Drusillas Park in East Sussex, mix it up with some 15 different types of monkeys and lemurs. For details go to www.drusillas.co.uk

WHERE TO CELEBRATE

Medway: The Chinese New Year celebrations are among the largest in the UK with floats coming from as far afield as China.

A procession of lion dancers, dragons and drummers will move along the High Street at noon on Sunday, February 7. The following Sunday the Medway community will also be represented at the national festivities in Trafalgar Square, London.

Gravesend: The Chinese lion will be woken in Community Square at 11am on Tuesday, February 9, before it parades across the square, receiving leaves – which symbolise good luck and a fresh start to the new year – before returning to the Woodville where there will be traditional Chinese entertainment.

Maidstone: The traditional dotting of the eyes ceremony to awaken the Chinese lion will start the celebrations in Maidstone on Saturday, February 6 at noon at the Fremlin Walk bandstand. Once the lions are awake they will prowl the town centre. Chinese opera, lion parades, kung fu displays and live music follow in Jubilee Square until 4.30pm.

BORN IN THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY

1920 Yul Brynner
1932 Johnny Cash
1944 Danny de Vito
1956 Tom Hanks
1968 Daniel Craig
1980 Maccaulay Culkin
1992 Selena Gomez