San Francisco's Chinese New Year parade goes off with a bang
San Francisco celebrates Lunar New Year
The celebrations for San Francisco's Chinese New Year parade to welcome the year of the snake started off with a bang.
SAN FRANCISCO - The celebrations for San Francisco's Chinese New Year parade to welcome the year of the snake started off with a bang.
Shortly after 5 p.m., the parade got underway, full of color and energy.
San Francisco's City Attorney, David Chiu, said it best.
"Welcome to the best lunar new year parade outside of Asia," said Chiu. "The oldest, the most historic and the most amazing Chinatown in the United States is here in San Francisco!"
For Sarah Fermatt and Erik Estrada from Salinas, the martial artists were a highlight.
"Yeah, that was super cool," said Estrada. "I mean, it's just so athletic, and they're so flexible and just seeing all that is super cool and very traditional and respective to the traditions that they have. I think it was awesome."
They're already saying while this was their first time here, it won't be their last.
"I had such an amazing time, it was really fun I think I'll come back again," said Fermatt.
Organizers estimated three million people turned out to watch the parade in person and on television. While it's fun for the audience to watch the parade roll by, those in the parade say they're having a blast too.
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"Oh, I love this parade," said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. "We've got tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people lined up on Market Street. It's a great day to be in San Francisco."
Lurie walked the parade last year as a candidate, and he's walking it again this year as San Francisco's mayor.
"It was one of my favorite events of the campaign. I walked the whole route. I was in the car for a second, but I was like, I gotta get out and run around. The enthusiasm is infectious out here."
The excitement of the crowd is electric. Emcee Stephen Chun is a veteran of the parade, and says it never gets old.
"It's a lot of celebration," said Chun. "We have a lot of culture but also a lot of schools participating and also a lot of agencies city-wide. A lot of music, a lot of lions. A lot of dragons as well."
Veteran parade goers say, with about a hundred floats and groups marching, it's hard to say which part is their favorite.
"Everything! Everything, every year. I've been here 15 years every time and every time is great," said one woman.
Parade goers said this has been an incredible way to ring in the year of the snake, and they're already looking forward to next year, when they get to welcome in the year of the Horse.