Happy Year of the Rat!
Thank you to all the attendees, participants, and sponsors who made this year’s parade and festivities a success!
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MISS CHINATOWN USA PAGEANT 2020
For over 60 years, lovely and talented young women from throughout the United States have come to San Francisco to compete in the annual Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Pageant. The new Queen and her Court will become goodwill ambassadors for the Chinese community throughout the new year.
The 2020 Miss Chinatown USA Pageant will be taking place on Saturday, February 1, 2020 at 7:30 PM and will be followed by the Coronation Ball and then the Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade, taking place on February 7, 2020 and February 8, 2020, respectively.
About the Parade
Named one of the top ten Parades in the world by International Festivals & Events Association, the Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco is one of the few remaining night illuminated Parades in North America and the biggest parade celebrating the lunar new year outside of Asia. Started in the 1860’s by the Chinese in San Francisco as a means to educate the community about their culture, the Parade and Festival have grown to be the largest celebration of Asian culture outside of Asia. Since 1958, the parade has been under the direction of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
Over 100 units will participate in the Southwest Airlines® Chinese New Year Parade. A San Francisco tradition since just after the Gold Rush, the parade continues to delight and entertain the many hundreds of thousands of people who come to watch it on the street or tune in to watch it on television on KTVU Fox 2 or KTSF Channel 26, 6:00-8:00 p.m., on Saturday, February 8, 2020.
Nowhere in the world 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 is the spectacular 288′ Golden Dragon (“Gum Lung”). It takes a team of over 180 men and women from the martial arts group, White Crane, to carry the Golden Dragon through the streets of San Francisco.
Festival Events
Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair
January 18, 2020 / January 19, 2020
The Flower Fair is the place to come to purchase fresh flowers, fruits, candies and brand new supplies for the home to begin the new lunar year. You will find over 120 booths and concessions making this a shopper’s paradise.
Basketball Jamboree
February 1, 2020
The Chinese New Year Basketball Jamboree will kick off the Year of the Rat with many exciting basketball games. The players represent the greater Chinatown-North Beach community and the San Francisco Middle Schools.
Miss Chinatown USA Pageant & Coronation Ball
February 1, 2020 / February 7, 2020
Lovely and talented young women from throughout the United States have come to San Francisco to compete in the annual Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Pageant. The new Queen and her Court will become goodwill ambassadors for the Chinese community throughout the new year.
Chinese New Year Community Street Fair
February 8, 2020 / February 9, 2020
Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of San Francisco’s exhilarating Chinatown during one of the community’s most exciting times of the year. You will find over 120 booths and concessions making this a shopper’s paradise.
Chinese New Year Parade
February 8, 2020
Today, the San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is the largest celebration of its kind in the world, attracting over three million spectators and television viewers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Asia.
Chinese New Year Walk / 5k Run / 10k Run
March 1, 2020
The proceeds from the run benefit the Chinatown YMCA Community Center, which serves more than 1,200 youth and their families from Chinatown and the surrounding neighborhoods.