SF’s 2026 Chinese New Year Parade

David Yu via Flickr - CC BY-NC 2.0

Named one of the world’s top ten parades, the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco is the largest celebration of its kind outside of Asia. It was started in the 1860s and takes place the weekend of the Chinese New Year Community Street Fair (March 7-8, 2026).

Typically, nearly 100 groups will participate in the parade, and many of the floats and specialty groups will be featuring the theme of this year’s Chinese zodiac sign, the year of the horse.

2026 Chinese New Year Parade
Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 5:15 – 8 pm – rain or shine
Chinatown, San Francisco
FREE standing room (bleacher seats start at $48 for 2026)

Parade is approximately 1.3 miles in length and lasts about 2 1/2 hours.

Nowhere in the country will you see a Lunar New Year parade with more gorgeous floats, elaborate costumes, ferocious lions, exploding firecrackers, and of course the newly crowned Miss Chinatown U.S.A. and her court.

A crowd favorite will be the new and spectacular 288-foot Golden Dragon (“Gum Lung”). It takes a team of over 180 men and women from the martial arts group White Crane to carry this dragon throughout the streets of San Francisco.

Fireworks for 2026? We’re not sure yet. A small fireworks show occurred after the parade, set off from Union Square in 2025 & 2025. We expect it for 2026, but it hasn’t been announced yet as of 1/28/26.

In 2025, there was also a Drone Light Show. The full schedule for 2026 has not yet been announced as of 1/28/26.

Here’s more about what happened in 2025:
San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade on February 15, 2025 will feature a choreographed drone light show for the first time as part of its grand finale. The display will include 500 LED-lit drones flying above the Embarcadero, forming images related to Lunar New Year traditions and the Year of the Snake. The 10-minute show, scheduled to begin around 8:00 p.m. after the fireworks display, will be operated by a team of eight and launched from Pier 32. The drones will soar up to 600 feet and create formations up to 600 feet wide. Organized by Good Works Drone Shows, the display will be visible within a 5-mile radius, allowing views from high-rises and even the Bay Bridge.

2026 Parade Route

The parade starts off at 2nd and Market Streets, goes around Union Square, and ends at Kearny Street & Columbus Ave. The distance of the parade route is approximately 1.3 miles. The parade is a free event for all to attend and you may stand anywhere on the parade route, behind the barricades, to watch the parade.

The following map also shows the location of crossing points through the parade route. These areas can be used to safely cross the parade route, but must be kept clear for emergency personnel. Please do not stand in these areas to watch the parade. In order to maintain the flow of the parade, local law enforcement and parade personnel will instruct guests when it will be safe to cross over. Please follow their instructions. If you have purchased a bleacher ticket, the following map also shows the locations of your bleacher areas.

It is strongly suggested to take public transportation.

 

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Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.