The Year of the Tiger will roar back in style on February 19!
The Chinese New Year festival and parade is one of the most iconic events on San Francisco’s cultural calendar. The festival lasts for about 2 weeks following the first day of the Chinese New Year, and it’s been happening since 1851, making it the oldest and largest celebration of this kind outside of Asia. Lucky for us, the beloved parade has announced its in-person return for 2022!
The festival normally includes two fairs, a beauty pageant, a YMCA run, children’s basketball games, and of course the grand finale: the Chinese New Year parade. All are scheduled to return throughout January, February, and March. This year’s events are sponsored by Alaska Airlines and hosted by the San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
As this enormous event takes months to plan, wheels are already in motion to get this year’s celebration off the ground. That said, things can change in an instant, as evidenced by this year’s Delta variant spread.
“All of this couldn’t be possible without the love and support of our committee, volunteers, sponsors, and our community making sure that all eligible people get vaccinated and maintain their social distance,” writes the Chinese Parade website. “To ensure the continued safety of the nearly 1,000 member staff who make up our annual parade, and all our attendees, we are requiring that all eligible volunteers and members of our parade be fully vaccinated and wear a mask throughout the parade.”
Bleacher seats will be available to reserve for the parade around mid-November, per their website. Follow @chineseparade on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates.
Featured image: David Yu via Flickr