The 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade returns to Manhattan’s Chinatown this Sunday.
About 500,000 people are expected to show up and commemorate the end of the 15 days honoring the first new moon on the lunar calendar, according to Steven Tin, the parade’s organizer.
This year’s theme is all about celebrating the “Year of the Dragon” with dance performances, music and singing.
“We’re gonna have a lot of colorful dragons coming out,” said Tin. “I think dragons bring a certain excitement into any parade.”
Tin said he’s most excited about seeing more young people volunteering and performing in the parade, as well as seeing multiple generations attending together.
“Our original purpose is to bring the traditional, exciting Asian culture to the mainstream and to our second- and third-generation Asian Americans,” he said. “I think it’s getting there, but we still need some push.”
Veronica Woo owns Dim Sum Go Go, a restaurant in Chinatown. She and her son Jackson Lau, the restaurant’s manager, said they love when the parade passes their establishment because it brings in a lot of business.
“It always brings a happy spirit,” Woo said.
The family also said the parade brings good luck to the restaurant.
“In Chinese culture, it brings prosperity and fortune,” Lau added. “Chinese New Year to the Chinese people is the biggest holiday for us, so we welcome everyone to celebrate together and it brings luck for the whole year.”
The parade is free to attend and open to the public. Here’s what you need to know to attend.
When is the parade?
The parade starts at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25. Tin advises anyone who wants the best possible view of the procession to arrive around noon or earlier.
Where is it?
The parade will start at Mott and Hester streets and proceed down Mott to Canal Street. From there, the procession will make its way to Chatham Square, then toward the Manhattan Bridge via East Broadway. From there, the marchers will head toward Grand…
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