San Francisco Annual Events

Chinese New Year Festival and Parade

Chinese New Year Parade

The most important holiday on the Chinese calendar, Chinese New Year is celebrated around the world with parades, dancing, concerts, firecrackers and a long list of deep-rooted traditions meant to purge the old and embrace the new. While the Chinese adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1912, making January 1 the actual start of the new year, The Chinese New Year celebrations are celebrated based on the Lunar Calendar. The first day of the celebration changes every year and occurs on the day of the new moon, which occurs between January 21 and February 20. The celebrations have evolved over time, but the origin of the holiday can be traced back to almost 3,500 years ago during the Shang Dynasty, which took place from 1600 to 1046 BC. It wasn’t until the Wei-Qing Dynasty, which began in 220 AD that the festivities went from mainly religious to more entertaining and pageantry. 

The reason for the creation of this annual event is based on an ancient myth, similar to a lot of festivals and celebrations in China. There are a lot of different versions of the story, however the most commonly accepted one has to do with a mythical beast called Nian. This creature was said to go out on the eve of the new year and wreak havoc by eating crops, animals and livestock and even people. The Chinese ended up placing food outside of their doors in hopes that the angray beast would take pity on them, accept the offering and not damage their livelihoods and kill their family members. This was practiced until an old wise man was tired of doing the offerings and firgured out that Nian was afraid of loud noises and the color red. This is why people throw firecrackers and hang red lanterns at modern day celebrations. Although these are just stories passed down through the ages, the Chinese have kept these traditions going and integrated them into the massive celebrations that are meant to help cleanse all of the bad or negative things from the previous year and start fresh. 

Chinese New Year Parade Float
Chinese New Year Parade Float

 

While the biggest celebrations happen in China, with Shanghai being the epicenter of the festivities, there are also large celebrations in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Paris and London as well as San Francisco, where organizers claim to hold the largest Chinese New Year Celebration outside of China. It is considered one of the top ten parades in the world and is actually one of the only illuminated night parades in the United States. The history of the parade dates back to the 1860s, when the small Chinese population in San Francisco, most who came to the city during the Gold Rush, decided to pay homage to their native country with a parade. In fact, nothing like this had really existed in China. There were celebrations, however the parade was more of an American tradition. It was a smaller event when it began, but over the years grew to one of the largest Chinese New Year celebrations in the world. The parade is estimated to attract over 3 million spectators every year between people watching in Chinatown and viewing the festivities on television. 

Miss Chinatown
Miss Chinatown at San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade

 

The Chinese New Year Parade and Festival is more than just a parade. The parade is definitely the biggest part of the celebration, with more than 100 groups represented, a bunch of large floats and the iconic Golden Dragon, which is 28 feet long and takes over 100 people to operate. Other parts of the festival include the Flower Market Fair, The Basketball Jamoboree, Miss Chinatown USA Pageant, The Community Street Fair and The Chinatown YMCA Run. 

 

Golden Dragon
Golden Dragon at Chinese New Year Parade

 

If you want to see a spectacular display of asian culture, beautifully-designed floats, Chinese Dancers and more, the Chinese New Year Parade is an amazing annual event in San Francisco to see at least once. Since the date and schedule changes every year, check out the official website for the updated information to make sure you don’t miss anything. If you wish to attend the festival and wish people a “Happy New Year”, then you can use the Cantonese phrase “Gung Hay Fat Choy”, which means “wishing you great happiness and prosperity” or the Mandarin phrase “Gong Xi Fa Cai”, which translates to “wishing you to be prosperous in the coming year”.

Chinese New Year San Francisco
Chinese New Year Festival San Francisco

CHINESE NEW YEAR PARADE AND FESTIVAL

Link to Twitter Profile Link to Instagram Link to Facebook

 

Neighborhood

Chinatown

website

www.chineseparade.com

 

Phone

415-982-3000

Category

Best Annual Events in San Francisco

Best Parades in San Francisco

EXPLORE EVENTS

Upcoming San Francisco Events

08

October

2025

múm / with Mr. Silla – The Independent

The Independent

08:00 PM
See Details

09

October

2025

Jeremy Jordan & Age of Madness / with Homestyle Dinner Rolls- The Independent

The Independent

08:00 PM
See Details

09

October

2025

Fleshwater at The Fillmore San Francisco

The Fillmore

08:00 PM
See Details

10

October

2025

Balu Brigada – Portal (Early Show) at The Independent

The Independent

See Details

10

October

2025

Dermot Kennedy at The Fillmore San Francisco

The Fillmore

08:00 PM
See Details

10

October

2025

Balu Brigada – Portal (Late Show) The Independent SF

The Independent

10:00 PM
See Details

12

October

2025

Rival Schools & Narrow Head / with Graham Hunt- The Independent SF

The Independent

08:00 PM
See Details

13

October

2025

The Good Fight 10 Year Anniversary Tour / Oddisee

The Independent

08:00 PM
See Details

13

October

2025

Nation of Language at The Fillmore SF

The Fillmore

08:00 PM
See Details

14

October

2025

James Vickery at The Independent San Francsico

The Independent

08:00 PM
See Details

15

October

2025

Covet at The Independent SF

The Independent

08:00 PM
See Details

16

October

2025

Johnny Stimson at The Independent San Francisco

The Independent

08:00 PM
See Details

17

October

2025

DURRY with Gully Boys at The Independent

The Independent

09:00 PM
See Details

18

October

2025

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram at The Fillmore

The Fillmore

08:00 PM
See Details

18

October

2025

Oliver Hazard x The Last Revel: Head West at The Independent

The Independent

09:00 PM
See Details

19

October

2025

Isabella Lovestory with Cece Natalie, Ali RQ – The Independent

The Independent

See Details

20

October

2025

Aidan Bissett with Zach Hood, Lulu Simon at The Independent

The Independent

08:00 PM
See Details

21

October

2025

Superchunk with Case Oats at The Independent SF

The Independent

08:00 PM
See Details

21

October

2025

grandson: INERTIA Tour at The Fillmore

The Fillmore

08:00 PM
See Details

22

October

2025

Hazlett at The Fillmore San Francisco

The Fillmore

08:00 PM
See Details

23

October

2025

The Army, The Navy at The Independent

The Independent

08:00 PM
See Details

23

October

2025

John Maus at The Fillmore SF

The Fillmore

08:00 PM
See Details

24

October

2025

Crawloween San Francisco Halloween Bar Crawl

Maye's (Starting Location)

06:00 PM – 11:00 PM
See Details

24

October

2025

The New Mastersounds at The Fillmore

The Fillmore

08:00 PM
See Details

24

October

2025

Frost Children with DJ Thank You at The Independent SF

The Independent

09:00 PM
See Details

25

October

2025

San Francisco Halloween Pub Crawl: Crawloween

Maye's (Starting Location)

02:00 PM – 10:00 PM
See Details

25

October

2025

The Hip Abduction at The Fillmore

The Fillmore

08:00 PM
See Details

25

October

2025

Oklou with Cecile Believe at The Independent

The Independent

09:00 PM
See Details

26

October

2025

Jason Mraz at The Fillmore San Francisco

The Fillmore

07:30 PM
See Details

26

October

2025

quinnie – The Paper Doll Tour at The Independent SF

The Independent

08:00 PM
See Details

San Francisco Events

CrawlSF Experience Background

No Upcoming Events Avaialble