Every year, thousands of people come from all over to experience Lunar New Year in San Francisco. The Chinese New Year Parade in SF’s Chinatown is a world-famous celebration with an extensive history in the city, and it comes accompanied by numerous other cultural events. We listed out those festivities and many more in this guide to the best ways to celebrate the 2025 Lunar New Year in and around SF.
Lunar New Year takes place on January 29, 2025, although SF’s festivities will be ongoing through January and February.
The holiday honors the beginning of a new year according to the lunar calendar; that is, the date of the new moon appearing between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20. It correlates with the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac and five elements. 2025 is the year of the Wood Snake, which symbolizes wisdom and intuition. Many East Asian cultures celebrate Lunar New Year in a multitude of ways, including the Japanese Oshōgatsu, the Korean Seollal, and the Vietnamese Tết Nguyên Đán.
1. SF Chinese New Year Parade and Festival
San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade is one of the city’s most famous events, dating all the way back to 1851. It’s the oldest and largest celebration of its kind outside of Asia, showcasing over 100 units including elaborate floats, performers, and firecrackers. A team of 180 people puppets the showstopping 288-foot-long Golden Dragon (“Gum Lung”), which is undoubtedly a highlight of the parade.
On the weekend of the parade, Chinatown will also come to life with its massive annual Community Street Fair, which sets up over 120 booths on Washington, Jackson, Pacific, and Grant Avenues. This is a good place to purchase gorgeous artisanal products, browse festive Lunar New Year decor, and watch even more performances. While the parade is only happening on Saturday, the street fair will be up all weekend.
🗓️ Date: The parade is on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025 at 5pm and usually lasts around 2.5 hours. The Community Street Fair will happen on both Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 15-16.
📍 Location: Chinatown, San Francisco, CA. Read our festival guide for more information.
2. Flower Market Fair
One of the Chinese New Year Festival’s biggest events is the Flower Market Fair along Grant Ave, which always takes place on the weekend before Lunar New Year Day. Thousands visit to purchase fresh flowers, fruits, candies, supplies, and decorations with which to decorate their home. Browse over 120 booths and enjoy performances by traditional Chinese magicians, acrobats, and dancers.
In Chinese culture, Lunar New Year is often celebrated with fruits like oranges and tangerines, which symbolize happiness, and fresh flowers and plants to symbolize growth and prosperity. You’ll find these items and many more at the Flower Market Fair.
🗓️ Date: Jan. 25-26, 2025
📍 Location: Grant Ave between Clay and Broadway in Chinatown, San Francisco, CA
3. More Chinese New Year Festival events
SF’s Chinese New Year Festival is best known for the parade, Flower Market Fair, and Community Street Fair. However, the festival also produces several more events between January and March that are worth putting on your radar. Below is their full schedule, including favorites like the Miss Chinatown Pageant and Chinatown YMCA Run.
🗓️ Dates:
- Jan. 25-26, 2025: Flower Market Fair
- Jan. 29, 2025: Chinese New Year’s Day Opening Ceremony
- Feb. 8, 2025: Basketball Jamboree
- Feb. 14, 2025: Miss Chinatown Pageant and Coronation Ball
- Feb. 15, 2025: Chinese New Year Parade
- Feb. 15-16, 2025: Community Street Fair
- Mar. 2, 2025: Chinatown YMCA Run
4. “Lunar Underground” NightLife
The California Academy of Sciences hosts these wonderful after-hours events on Thursday nights, where you can see the museum’s 60,000 animals up close without the daytime crowds. The event coinciding with Lunar New Year will honor the holiday with delicious food, LED lion dances, and one-of-a-kind decorations.
🗓️ Date: Jan. 30, 2025 at 6pm
📍 Location: California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118
5. Lunar New Year Celebration with the SF Zoo
The San Francisco Zoo will ring in the Year of the Snake with a series of Lion Dances by Chung Ngai Dance Troupe and Flying Angels Chinese Dance. The weekend will include a special opportunity to learn about animals from the Pacific Rim region, join art and crafts activities, and more.
🗓️ Date: Jan. 25-26, 2025. The Lion Dance performances are at 11:15am, 12:30pm, and 1:45pm on Saturday and 11am and 12:15pm on Sunday.
📍 Location: San Francisco Zoo – Sloat Blvd &, Upper Great Hwy, San Francisco, CA 94132
6. SF Symphony Lunar New Year Concert and Banquet
SF Symphony presents the 25th annual Lunar New Year celebration and banquet supporting the Symphony’s annual programs. It begins with pre-concert entertainment in the lobby, followed by a concert inspired by a spectrum of Asian music and traditions and an elaborate banquet.
🗓️ Date: Feb. 8, 2025
📍 Location: Davies Symphony Hall – 201 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102
7. Qi Baishi and Lunar New Year events with the Asian Art Museum
The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco usually hosts family-friendly activities in honor of Lunar New Year. Past years have included a Family Fun Day with storytelling, arts and craft activities where kids can make their own red envelope and color in zodiac animals, lion dance demonstrations, and expert talks.
Now’s a good time to see the exhibition Qi Baishi: Inspiration in Ink, which celebrates the modern master Qi Baishi (1864–1957) with memorable displays of Chinese painting. The museum is hosting ongoing public tours of the exhibition.
🗓️ Dates:
- Ongoing – Qi Baishi Public Tour
- (passed) Jan. 16, 2025 – Lion Dance Day and Red Envelope craft activity
📍 Location: Asian Art Museum – 200 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102
8. Lunar New Year Celebration at W San Francisco
The W San Francisco Hotel is hosting a Lunar New Year celebration for guests to “shed what no longer serves” them, in honor of the Year of the Snake. The event will include lion dancing from Leung’s White Crane, a pop-up food and drinks bar, and an origami craft bar by Paper Tree.
🗓️ Dates: Jan. 29, 2025 from 6-10pm
📍 Location: W San Francisco, 181 3rd Street San Francisco, CA 94103
9. Chinatown walking tours
Even if you can’t make it to Chinatown for one of the Lunar New Year events, this is still a great time of year to visit on your own time. We put together a guide with some of the neighborhood’s most famous attractions and restaurants, which makes for a good starting point for a self-guided tour. But you can also sign up for free guided walking tours courtesy of SF City Guides, which leave no stone unturned.
🗓️ Date: SF City Guides tours are ongoing. You can see their schedule here.
📍 Location: Chinatown, San Francisco, CA
10. SF restaurants serving traditional LNY food
Some popular foods to enjoy during Lunar New Year include dumplings, tangyuan (glutinous rice balls), spring rolls, fish, and longevity noodles. Here are a few restaurants where you can find all sorts of festive options.
- Palette Tea House – Dim sum in Fisherman’s Wharf with patio seating.
- Harborview Restaurant & Bar – Dim sum on the Embarcadero with a patio across from the Ferry Building.
- Dumpling Home – Find SF’s most affordable Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant in Hayes Valley.
- China Live – This high-end Chinese restaurant in Chinatown usually offers an extravagant Lunar New Year menu.
- Z&Y Restaurant – Bring the family for a delicious Peking duck meal to share in Chinatown.
- See more of our favorite Chinese restaurants here.
11. Lunar New Year events in Oakland
Lunar New Year at Children’s Fairyland
Oakland’s Children’s Fairyland hosts a three-day Lunar New Year celebration coinciding with the Fairyland’s 75th anniversary.
🗓️ Date: Jan. 24-26, 2025
📍 Location: Children’s Fairyland – 699 Bellevue Ave, Oakland, CA 94610
Oakland Chinatown Lunar New Year Bazaar
Join the 32nd annual Lunar New Year Bazaar in Oakland’s Chinatown, which honors traditions from Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and other cultures.
🗓️ Date: Jan. 27-28, 2024 from 10am-5pm
📍 Location: Oakland Chinatown, 388 Ninth Street Oakland, CA 94607
Little Saigon Tết Festival
The Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce presents a Tết Festival in Little Saigon in celebration of Vietnamese culture and Lunar New Year.
🗓️ Date: (passed) Jan. 19, 2024 from 11am-3pm
📍 Location: Clinton Park – 655 International Boulevard Oakland, CA 94606 United States
12. Lunar New Year events in San Jose
Santana Row Lunar New Year
One of the Bay Area’s nicest shopping centers, Santana Row, will have a lunchtime celebration with lion dances, cultural performances, and surprise red envelopes.
🗓️ Date: Feb. 1, 2025 from 11am-1pm
📍 Location: Santana Row Park – 377 Santana Row, San Jose, CA 95128
Hội Xuân Lunar New Year Tết and Moon Festival
This large festival in San Jose is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a three-day festival honoring Vietnamese culture. Festivities include lion dancers, a student talent contest, carnival rides, and the crowning of Miss Vietnam California.
🗓️ Date: Feb. 7-9, 2025
📍 Location: Eastridge Center (former Sears parking) – 2200 Eastridge Loop, San Jose, CA 95122
13. More Bay Area Lunar New Year events
Harajuku Lunar New Year
“The Bay’s cutest Lunar New Year Marketplace” is coming to Benicia to honor Japanese art, anime, and characters. The first 150 attendees will get a free tote bag, and the first 50 will also receive a T-shirt and goodie box.
🗓️ Date: Jan. 25, 2025 from 10am-4pm
📍 Location: 1149 First St, Benicia, CA 94510
Millbrae Lunar New Year Festival
Over 100 vendors will line the streets in downtown Millbrae for a celebration featuring lion dances, fire crackers, performances, martial arts, and delicious food.
🗓️ Date: Jan. 25-26, 2025, 10am-5pm
📍 Location: 200-400 blocks on Broadway, Millbrae, CA 94030
14. Chinatown Night Market
Through most of 2024, we’ve enjoyed these recurring night markets in Chinatown on the second Friday of every month. While the popular market’s 2025 plans are still TBA, it’s worth having this on your radar now so that you don’t miss any upcoming announcements. The streets are always lined with local vendors selling fantastic food, including baked goods, dim sum, tea, and more.
🗓️ Date: TBA
📍 Location: Grant Avenue in Chinatown, San Francisco, CA
Past events
Oshogatsu Matsuri in SF’s Japantown
The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) presents a New Year Festival this January at their center on Sutter Street in Japantown. The family celebration will include hands-on workshops with shikishi art, a mochitsuki (rice pounding) demonstration, and delicious food. Bring plain, light-colored T-shirt and Japantown artists will screenprint it for free with a Year of the Snake design.
🗓️ Date: (passed) Jan. 11, 2025
📍 Location: Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California – 1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94115