San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade 2027: Dates, Where to Celebrate and Travel Tips

The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade takes place on Saturday 20 February 2027, stepping off at 5:15 p.m. from 2nd and Market Streets, according to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco ^{2 3}. The organiser calls 2027 the Year of the Ram; the same animal is also translated as the Goat ^{1 18}.

The parade is the finale of a festival season rather than a one-day event. The dates announced so far for 2027 are:

• Flower Market Fair: Saturday and Sunday 30–31 January 2027 on Grant Avenue between Clay Street and Broadway ⁴

• Lunar New Year's Day: Saturday 6 February 2027 ¹⁸

• Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Pageant and Coronation Ball: Friday 19 February 2027 at The Masonic, 1111 California Street ⁵

• Chinese New Year Parade: Saturday 20 February 2027 at 5:15 p.m. ²

The Chinatown Community Street Fair usually runs on the parade weekend; in 2026 it ran on 7–8 March, so expect it on 20–21 February 2027 once the organiser posts hours ¹².

Why does the date jump around? Chinese New Year falls on the first day of the first lunar month, so its date on the Western calendar shifts every year, and a leap month every two to three years pulls it back into late January or February ¹⁸. San Francisco does not hold its parade on New Year's Day itself. It picks a Saturday a few weeks later, which is why the 2026 parade fell on 7 March while 2027 comes earlier ^{10 2}.

In 2027 that Saturday lands on the 15th day of the lunar year, 20 February, which is the Lantern Festival that traditionally closes the New Year celebrations ¹⁸. A night parade lit with lanterns on Lantern Festival night is a neat coincidence worth planning around.

Tip: The parade runs rain or shine, so do not move travel plans around a forecast ².

Watching the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade costs nothing: anyone can stand along the 1.3-mile route behind the barricades, and only bleacher seats need a ticket ². For the 2026 parade, bleacher seats cost 45 to 75 USD each through Eventeny ¹⁰. The Union Square section E3 sold out at 75 USD plus fees in 2026 and came with a gift bag ^{3 10}.

Bleacher tickets for the 2027 parade are sold only online through Eventeny, linked from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce site; the organiser warns about scammers and says it never takes Zelle payments ^{2 3}. All sales are final and non-refundable ³.

The four bleacher areas each give a different view:

• Section A, Kearny Street between Washington and Jackson: the canopy-covered A1 block sits closest to Chinatown and the finale ^{2 3}

• Section B, Kearny Street between California and Sacramento: a straight stretch near the end of the route ²

• Section C, Post Street between Grant Avenue and Kearny: the turn out of Union Square ²

• Section E, Geary Street between Stockton and Powell: beside Union Square, earliest in the route ²

Seats inside a section are unassigned, so arriving early still matters ². Children aged 2 and under ride free on a parent's lap, but the adult needs a valid ticket ². Wheelchair seating is sold as an ADA Section ticket at the same price as standard seats, and free reserved accessible areas also line the barricades ^{2 3}.

In the bleachers, oversized cushions, coolers, pets, selfie sticks and camera tripods are banned, and drones are prohibited along the whole route ². Portable restrooms are usually placed near the bleachers ².

Tip: Section E on Geary Street sees the floats first and empties first, which helps if you plan to catch BART at Powell Street before the crowd.

The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade route runs about 1.3 miles from 2nd and Market Streets around Union Square to Kearny Street and Columbus Avenue, and the organiser strongly recommends public transport to reach it ². Chinatown itself sits at 37.79417, -122.40694 ¹⁵.

From San Francisco International Airport, BART leaves from the station beside Garage G and the International Terminal; the Yellow Line serves it at all hours and the Red Line until 9 p.m. ¹⁷. Ride to Montgomery or Powell, two of the four BART stops under Market Street, both a short walk from the route ⁷.

Inside the city, the Muni options are:

• T Third through the Central Subway: a 1.7-mile extension with stations at Union Square/Market Street and Chinatown–Rose Pak, linked to Powell Station ⁹

• Chinatown–Rose Pak: under Stockton Street at Washington Street, about 100 feet (30 m) below ground ¹⁶

• Bus lines near the route in 2026: 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 14R, 15, 30, 31, 38R and 45 ⁸

• Metro and streetcars in 2026: F, J, K, L, M, N and T ⁸

For the 2026 parade, Muni was free citywide all day on 7 March, with cable cars excluded ⁸. No such offer has been announced for 20 February 2027.

Driving is the hard option. In 2026, 2nd Street closed from 2 p.m. and Market, Geary, Powell, Post and Kearny closed from 3 p.m. until about 9:30 p.m. ⁸. The closest garages are Portsmouth Square Garage at 733 Kearny Street and Ellis-O'Farrell Garage at 123 O'Farrell Street ⁷. Regional riders can also use Caltrain from 4th and Townsend or Golden Gate Transit buses on Van Ness Avenue and Geary Boulevard ⁷.

Tip: Cross the route only at marked crossing points; they must stay clear for emergency crews, and staff decide when it is safe ².

The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade lasts about 2.5 hours, and the order builds towards one moment: the arrival of Gum Lung, the golden dragon ^{2 14}. Nearly 100 groups usually march, from school bands to martial arts clubs ¹³.

The parade grew out of the 1860s, when Chinese residents carried flags, banners, lanterns, drums and firecrackers through the streets to drive away evil spirits ⁶. Since 1958 the Chinese Chamber of Commerce has run it, and the International Festivals and Events Association has named it one of the top ten parades in the world ⁶.

What to watch for as it passes:

• Lion dances: each lion usually has two performers, and the tail can stretch about 12 feet ¹¹

• Firecrackers, drums, gongs and cymbals: used to scare off evil spirits, loudest on parade night ¹¹

• Floats: many follow the zodiac animal of the year ¹³

• Miss Chinatown U.S.A. and her court: crowned at the pageant the night before ^{5 13}

• Gum Lung: the golden dragon closing the parade measures 288 feet (88 m) and is carried by more than 100 members of a White Crane martial arts group, about 35 at a time ¹⁴

The dragon moves slowly, weaving and rearing over the street while firecrackers burst around it, so the last half hour is the loudest. Wikipedia's account of the parade cites at least 600,000 firecrackers ¹⁴.

Every spot on the route works, but crowds grow towards Chinatown ². Kearny Street near Portsmouth Square gives the densest atmosphere; Geary Street and Post Street around Union Square give more room and an earlier view.

In 2025 a small fireworks show went up from Union Square after the parade, followed by a drone show of 500 drones from Pier 32 ¹³. Neither has been confirmed for 2027.

Tip: Bring earplugs for everyone, children included; the city's visitor bureau recommends them for all ages ¹¹.

For free standing room at the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade, San Francisco Travel recommends arriving between 3:30 and 4 p.m., well before the 5:15 p.m. start ^{11 2}. Bleacher ticket holders should be near their section by 4:00 p.m., since San Francisco Police begin closing streets around 3:00 p.m. ².

San Francisco in February is cool, damp and dark early. Downtown normals for the month are:

• High: 60.4 °F (15.8 °C) ¹⁹

• Low: 47.9 °F (8.8 °C) ¹⁹

• Rain: 4.37 inches (111 mm) over 10.8 days with measurable precipitation ¹⁹

The parade starts around dusk and runs into full dark, so expect the temperature to slide towards the low by the time the dragon arrives. Standing still on concrete for three hours feels colder than the number suggests. Wind funnels along Market Street and down the narrow canyon of Kearny Street.

On a crowd scale of 1 to 5, the route sits at about 3 near 2nd Street, 4 around Union Square and 5 on Kearny Street towards Columbus Avenue, where the organiser notes it gets most crowded ². The Flower Market Fair weekend on Grant Avenue is busy but moves, especially in the morning.

What to pack for the curb:

• A warm layer, hat and a rain shell; there are no umbrellas over the curb

• Earplugs, especially for children ¹¹

• A folding chair if you are standing on the street side; organisers allow your own chair outside the bleachers ¹³

• Snacks and water; restrooms are portable units near the bleachers ²

• A charged power bank

If someone is hurt or a crush builds near a barricade, call 911, which handles immediate danger to life or property; for a non-urgent problem in San Francisco, call 311 ²⁰.

Tip: The Year of the Ram parade of 20 February 2027 goes ahead even in rain ². A poncho beats an umbrella in a crowd.

Union Square is the most practical base for the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade, because the route loops around it: Geary Street, Powell Street and Post Street all close for the parade ⁸. A room there turns the evening into a walk rather than a transit puzzle.

Areas worth comparing:

• Union Square: next to bleacher Section E on Geary Street, with Powell Station for BART and the Central Subway's Union Square/Market Street station ^{2 9}

• Nob Hill: uphill from Chinatown, quieter at night; The Masonic on California Street hosts the pageant the night before ⁵

• Financial District: close to Montgomery Station and the start at 2nd and Market ⁷

• North Beach: just past the finish at Kearny Street and Columbus Avenue, with the North Beach Garage at 735 Vallejo Street for drivers ^{2 7}

• SoMa near Moscone: on the T Third with Yerba Buena/Moscone station ⁹

Many hotels around Union Square sit inside the closed streets on parade afternoon, so taxis and ride-hail cars cannot reach the door between about 3 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., based on the 2026 closures ⁸. Check in before 2 p.m. or arrive by BART.

Book early for the 2027 parade weekend, because the pageant on Friday 19 February and the parade on Saturday 20 February 2027 pull visitors into the same few blocks two nights running ^{5 2}. If you prefer a calmer Chinatown visit, the Flower Market Fair weekend of 30–31 January 2027 is an alternative ⁴.

Tip: Rooms facing Geary Street or Post Street can watch part of the parade from the window, but expect firecracker noise until late.

The best food during the San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival sits one block west of the tourist strip, on Stockton Street, where locals shop at produce and fish markets in three- to four-storey buildings with flats above ¹⁵. Grant Avenue, one block east, is the souvenir and restaurant street, with the Dragon Gate at Bush Street and St. Mary's Square ¹⁵.

San Francisco Chinatown covers about 24 square blocks and is the oldest Chinatown in North America ¹⁵. San Francisco Travel singles out dim sum as the classic way to eat here ¹¹.

What to look for in the New Year weeks:

• At the Flower Market Fair: over 120 booths of fresh flowers, fruit, candies and new supplies for the home, on Grant Avenue between Clay Street and Broadway ⁴

• Dim sum before the parade: an early lunch fits the 3:30–4 p.m. arrival window ¹¹

• Fortune cookies on Ross Alley: a small bakery folds them by hand in the alley ¹⁵

• Bakeries on Stockton Street: pork buns and egg tarts as street food on the curb

• The Community Street Fair: in 2026 it ran on Grant Avenue between California Street and Broadway with over 120 booths and a stage on Pacific Avenue below Grant ¹²

Restaurants near the route fill hours ahead on parade night, and many shut their doors once the crowd arrives. Eat first, then claim your spot. For a quiet coda, Portsmouth Square is where residents practise tai chi and play Chinese chess, and Tin How Temple at 125 Waverly Place, said to be the oldest Chinese temple in the United States, sits nearby ¹⁵.

Tip: Buy mandarins or tangerines at a Stockton Street stall; they are given at New Year for luck and make an easy snack in the queue.

Mobile signal thins where the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade crowd is densest: on Kearny Street towards Columbus Avenue, where the organiser says the route gets most crowded ². Thousands of phones filming the golden dragon at once share the same cell sites.

Plan your data for what people actually do on parade night:

• Ticket: open the Eventeny QR code before 4:00 p.m.; staff scan it for your badge ²

• Transit: check Muni reroutes around the 3 p.m. closures, based on the 2026 plan ⁸

• Group: share live location; firecrackers make calls useless ¹¹

• Video: short clips of the dragon upload fine later on hotel Wi-Fi

• Ride home: a ride-hail pick-up needs a street outside the closed zone

Public Wi-Fi is not a plan. Do not count on a free network along the curb, and cafes near Chinatown get hard to enter once the crowd fills the sidewalk.

A local data plan installed before you fly is the simplest fix for a visitor: you land at San Francisco International Airport with maps working for the BART ride from the Garage G station ¹⁷. Compare options on the eSIM for the United States page and install it at home over Wi-Fi.

The organiser lists the transit agencies with phone numbers, so save the SFMTA line, (415) 701-2323, before you go ⁷.

Tip: Screenshot the bleacher map and section letters too. When the network stalls, a screenshot still tells you whether A is on Kearny Street or E on Geary Street ².