Crackle, crackle, pop. The sound of fireworks echoed through downtown as the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade took place Saturday, marking one of the city’s largest cultural celebrations with rare, clear skies bringing out even larger crowds.
The parade route spanned 1.3 miles, traveling from Market Street through downtown San Francisco and ending near the entrance to Chinatown. The tradition dates back to the 1860s, and today, the event blends traditional cultural performances, including lion dances, elaborate floats, marching bands and martial arts demonstrations, with the format of a large civic parade.
This year’s timing, with the parade being pushed into March because the Lunar New Year fell on Feb. 17, proved fortunate. Clear, dry skies replaced the rain that had dampened past parades, drawing in massive crowds. Spectators packed the sidewalks, and some even climbed scaffolding and planters for better views as the celebration unfolded under perfect springlike conditions.
The parade also featured freestyle skiing Olympic champion Eileen Gu, a San Francisco native and two-time Olympic gold medalist. This year’s celebration also reflected the Chinese zodiac’s Year of the Horse, which inspired several floats and costumes throughout the parade. Some participants embraced a playful Western twist on the theme, incorporating cowboy hats, horse imagery and rodeo-style decorations into their performances.
“I grew up Chinese, but we didn’t practice a lot of our traditions or culture,” Chun said. “I told my boyfriend that I wanted to come out and celebrate Lunar New Year and watch all the culture, the lion dancing, and just the artistry of it all.”
Throughout the parade route, many attendees and onlookers celebrated by wearing traditional Chinese clothing, adding to the vibrant atmosphere. Flowing Hanfurobes, inspired by ancient dynasties, could be seen alongside the more modern, elegant qipao dresses, often decorated with embroidered floral patterns and brightly colored silk.
According to Sophia Fan, a senior at the University of California, Davis, and member of the Northern California Hanfu Organization, the outfit she is wearing celebrates traditional Chinese clothing.
“This [her outfit] is Ming dynasty clothing, and the dress is called Ma Mian Qun,” Fan said. “It’s the typical kind of more formal clothing in the Ming dynasty.”
Eric Chen, a University of Maryland, College Park graduate said he was especially excited to see children participate in the celebration.
“What I’m looking forward to seeing the most are the little kids,” Chen said.” I like seeing them wave around little things, I think it’s pretty cute.”
According to Chen, the moment reminded him of his own childhood celebrations.
“When I was a kid, on a smaller scale, I would wave around the dragon stick as well,” Chen said. ” Now that I’m a little bit older, I get to see other people do it, and I thought that was cool.”
