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Applications for the 2020 Miss Chinatown Pageant are now open!
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 23, 2019.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.