Chinatown

San Francisco’s Chinese New Year festival and parade, the largest Lunar New Year celebration in North America, dates to the 1860s during the Gold Rush when Chinese immigrants showcased their culture with a parade of flags, lanterns, drums and firecrackers to ward off evil spirits, all still part of the annual festivities. Events now also include a Miss Chinatown USA Pageant, a flower market fair, a basketball jamboree, new year’s run and community street fair.

Photo by C. Malcolm Thompson