There will be lions and dragons galore as part of this year's Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown. Photo: Dawn Endico/Flickr
Chinese New Year Parade
Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m.
Chinatown
One of the world's top ten parades, San Francisco's Chinese Lunar New Year Parade is the largest of its kind outside of China. Along with the traditional floats, elaborate costumes and firecrackers, this year will debut a new crowd favorite: A 288-foot long Golden Dragon that requires a team of over 180 people to carry it through the streets. The parade steps off from Second and Market streets a little after 5 p.m. this Saturday before making its way west down Geary, up to Post heading east before proceeding north up Kearny Street to its conclusion.
How to Get There on Muni: Riders may take any Muni Metro Line, the T Third Street Shuttle Bus Route, the F Market and Wharves Line, the Powell/Hyde, Powell/Mason or California Cable Car lines as well as the 1 California, 2 Sutter/Clement, 3 Jackson, 5 Fulton, 6 Haight/Parnassus, 7 Haight/Noriega, 8 Bayshore, 9 San Bruno, 10 Townsend, 12 Folsom/Pacific, 14 Mission, 14R Mission Rapid, 21 Hayes, 25 Treasure Island, 30 Stockton, 31 Balboa, 38 Geary, 38R Geary Rapid, 45 Union/Stockton, or the 76X Marin Headlands Express routes to near the parade route.
Muni Service Notes: All bus routes listed above will have reroutes, while the F Market and Wharves, Powell/Hyde, Powell/Mason, and California Cable Car lines will have switchbacks in place during this event. Additional Muni Metro shuttles will be provided. All routes in the area of the event may see increased ridership and possible minor delays due to heavy pedestrian activity around Chinatown.
Chinese New Year Street Fair
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Chinatown
While the parade is the weekend's big event, it is only a part of the celebrations. Throughout the weekend, Chinatown will be alive with folk dancing, dragons, acrobats, and much more during the Chinese New Year Street Fair. Traditional and modern entertainment options will abound while over 120 booths will provide shoppers with a virtual paradise. The two-day fair is expected to have an attendance of nearly 500,000 people to help usher in the Year of the Pig.
How to Get There on Muni: Riders may take any Cable Car line as well as the 1 California, 8 Bayshore, 10 Townsend, 12 Folsom/Pacific, 30 Stockton, 31 Balboa, or the 45 Union/Stockton routes to near this event..
Muni Service Notes: The 10 and 12 routes will have reroutes in the area of the event. All routes in the area may also experience increased ridership and minor delays due to heavy pedestrian activity near the event location.
Remember that you can take Muni for the entire day for a single $5 fare. The new $5 Day Pass, available on MuniMobile®, is part of Muni’s recent fare changes. The pass is intended to encourage a safe, convenient way to pay your fare and quickly board Muni vehicles, which reduces overall travel time for everyone. The $5 Day Pass is Muni bus, rail and historic streetcars only.
“On Tap” gives you a heads up about the big events in town and what Muni routes and lines will get you to the party. Look for this feature to be posted usually on Thursdays for a look ahead to the weekend. Check out our Weekend Traffic & Transit Advisory for more details.