This weekend, San Francisco will celebrate the Hungry Ghost Festival in Chinatown. The annual celebration regularly draws large crowds with a lively parade, rituals, art, music, and more. The Hungry Ghost Festival is a celebration for the Chinese Diaspora that falls on Ghost Day. The day is a time when the line between the spirit and living realms blurs, and hungry or angry ghosts and spirits enter the living world. The traditions in the festival are intended to pacify or distract the spirits.
This year, the festival is on August 23rd, from 4 to 9 pm in Chinatown. The San Francisco festival is in its third year, debuting in 2023. The festivities start with the Ghost King Parade on Grant Ave, with a 14-foot Ghost King that will be led by the Lotus Tao Cultural Institute through Chinatown. You can also expect music, arts, and community booths at the festival.
Some of this year’s performers include the Asian & Pacific Islander Drag Queen Troupe Rice Rockettes, music group LoCura, and Cantonese Opera from the Baht Wor Charity Foundation. Plus, look out for the Chinatown Portsmouth Square Dancing Club, Japanese taiko drumming from the group Queer Taiko, and kung fu and lion dancing from Yau Kung Moon.
History of the Hungry Ghost Festival in Chinatown
According to the Chinese Cultural Center, the Hungry Ghost Festival was often one of the most important celebrations for early Chinatowns across California. Between the 1860s and 1920s, there were over 350 Hungry Ghost Festivals featuring rituals to pacify spirits (called Da Jiao). Today, the Hungry Ghost Festival is an important part of Chinese cultural heritage, and many celebrations, like the one in SF, are being revived. The 2023 Hungry Ghost Festival in SF was a major success, welcoming over 10,000 people across diverse communities.
Check out the festival this weekend on Saturday, August 23rd, from 4 to 9 pm in Chinatown. We recommend you get there at 4 pm to see the parade and take time to watch the numerous live performances. You can learn more about the Hungry Ghost Festival’s theme, history, and significance at the Chinese Cultural Center website here.