San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade

San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade
The Chinese New Year Parade in 2009, the Year of the Ox
Statusactive
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s)Chinatown, San Francisco, California, United States
Inaugurated1953 (1953) (private events date to 1858)
Most recentJan 7, 2023–Mar 5, 2023
Next eventFeb 3, 2024–Feb 24, 2024(+Mar 3, 2024)
SponsorAlaska Airlines

The San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is an annual event in San Francisco, California, United States. Held for approximately two weeks following the first day of the Chinese New Year, it combines elements of the Chinese Lantern Festival with a typical American parade. First held in 1851, along what are today Grant Avenue and Kearny Street, it is the oldest and one of the largest events of its kind outside of Asia, and one of the largest Asian cultural events in North America. The parade route begins on Market Street and terminates in Chinatown.[1][2]

Highlights of the parade include floats, lion dancers, elementary school groups in costume, marching bands, stilt walkers, Chinese acrobats, and a Golden Dragon. Observers can expect to hear at least 600,000 firecrackers,[3] and are advised to bring ear plugs.[4]

The Golden Dragon is one of the highlights of the parade, considered the "Grand Finale" of the parade. It is made in Foshan, China and is 268 feet long, and takes a team of 100 men and women from the martial arts group Leung's White Crane Lion and Dragon Dance Association to carry it.[3][5]

The parade is hosted by the San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce.[6] Corporate sponsors have included Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines. A similar street festival, the Autumn Moon Festival, has been held annually in Chinatown since 1991 to celebrate the Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival, approximately six months after the New Year festival and parade, and is hosted by the Chinatown Merchants Association of San Francisco.

  1. ^ "Nearly one million spectators expected for Chinese New Year parade". San Jose Mercury News. San Jose, California. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  2. ^ Nelson, Lee. "Chinese New Year Parade and Celebration in San Francisco". Internet Tours. Lee W. Nelson. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference SF Chinatown was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference SF Travel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Ortiz, Michie. "2017 Chinese New Year Parade with Cirque du Soleil". SF Funcheap. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Chinese New Year Parade set for Saturday night in San Francisco". KGO-TV. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2017.