The Chinese lunar New Year is celebrated everywhere where there is a Chinese community in the United States, but traditionally, the San Francisco Chinatown does it the best. The pinnacle of every year’s celebrations is the Parade and this year, it will be more lavish than ever and it will take place on March 7th.
Once again, the Chinese New Year’s Parade in San Fran is going to be the biggest celebration outside Asia and it will once again be attended by millions of people who will flock to see the floats, the dancers, the artists and, of course, the Golden Dragon, or Gum Lung as it is also known.
The parade will start at the corner of 2nd and Market Streets at 5:15 pm and it will weave its way all over Chinatown, ending at Jackson and Kearny. It is expected to end at around 8 pm.
This year, there will be more than 100 entries to the parade from elementary schools, martial arts schools and organizations to marching bands and a number of floats that will truly make this parade spectacular.
Like every year, the Golden Dragon will be center stage, more than 200 feet long and operated by more than 100 people. Also, more than 600,000 firecrackers are planned for the parade, truly making it breath-taking.
If you plan on finding the spot in front row, make sure you arrive at least an hour and a half before the parade starts.
