Chinese New Year Parade: February 15, 2025

Event Summary

The annual Chinese New Year Parade will commence Saturday, February 15, at 5:00 p.m. from Market & 2nd St. The parade route will begin at Market & 2nd and proceed via Market to Geary, Powell, Post, Kearny to Columbus where it will disband between Pacific & Washington. The formation area is on Market Street from 2nd to Beale, Second Street from Market to Mission, and Main Street from Market to Harrison. Reroutes for parade closures begin at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and will resume normal routing after roadway is clear (approximately 10:00 p.m.).

The annual two-day Chinese New Year Community Fair will take place on February 15 & 16 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The event will be held on Grant Avenue between California & Broadway and on the streets crossing Grant between Stockton & Kearny.  Street Closures begin Friday, February 14 at 11 p.m. and conclude Sunday, February 16 at 11 p.m.

On This Page

• Getting to the Parade
• Street Closures
• Muni Service Changes
• Free Muni & Parking at Portsmouth Square Garage
• Downtown Transfers
• Event Service Map

Getting to the Parade

The easiest way to get to Parade is via the Market Street Subway at Montgomery Station, near the beginning of the parade. Powell Station is also nearby, just a few blocks from where the Parade goes around Union Square, and is the transfer point between the Central Subway and the Market Street Subway.

Back to Top.

Street Closures

Several streets in the Financial District will be closed for parade staging and for the parade itself. They will reopen after the parade is clear and streets are cleaned, at approximately 9:30 p.m. The following streets will be closed to traffic beginning at the specified times:

Closure start time of 2 p.m.:

• 2nd St. between Market and Mission

Closure start time of 3 p.m.:

• Market between 2nd St & Geary
• Geary between Market and Powell
• Powell between Geary and Post
• Post between Kearny to Powell
• Kearny between Geary and Pacific

Back to Top.

Muni Service Changes

Many Muni routes will reroute or switchback--changing from inbound to outbound--before they reach Downtown. Most Market Street routes will operate on Mission Street instead. Routes that cross Market Street will be rerouted around the event areas. Reroutes start at different times, but all service will return to normal once the parade clears the streets (approximate service change end times are provided, but are subject to change on the day of the event).

Note: Be sure to receive Muni service alerts via email or text by signing up through our Email and Text Subscriptions page.

Back to Top.

Free Muni & Parking at Portsmouth Square Garage

The Board of Supervisors has committed to moving funding from the General Fund to cover costs of parking and Muni fares to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This will allow us to offer:

• Free Muni fares on the weekend of the Lunar New Year parade, Sat., Feb. 15-Sun., Feb. 16.
  • This includes all stops and buses on the West Side, which will make it easier for the sizeable Chinese community in the West Side to travel to Chinatown for Lunar New Year festivities.
  • Cable Car service is not included in the Free Muni service. Paid fare on all cable car lines will be required.
• The first 2 hours free to customers who pay for parking at Portsmouth Square Garage, Jan. 28-Feb. 28 (anticipates 1 month of preparing for and celebrating the holiday.)

This effort came together largely by the initiative of Supervisors Chan (District 1, the Richmond) and Sauter (District 3, Chinatown and North Beach). We are happy to work with them on this endeavor to help generate business in Chinatown and restart the economy downtown. 

Downtown Transfers

The table below lists transfer opportunities from the Market Street Subway to rerouted Muni services.

Note: Some service is rerouted to Mission Street, which is a short walk from all Market Street Subway stations.

Back to Top.

Event Service Map

Back to Top.