Chinese New Year Festival & Parade

First held in the 1860s, the San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival & Parade has grown to become one of the biggest Asian cultural events in North America and the largest Asian celebration outside of Asia. Starting at Market and Second Street, the parade snakes its way to Chinatown. With colorful dragons, ferocious lions, ear-splitting firecrackers, and red envelopes all around, this colorful and noisy event attracts over 3,000,000 TV viewers a year. There is also a two-week festival with a spectacular flower show and community fair.