Your guide to Lunar New Year events in SF
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Lunar New Year kicks off Tuesday, and San Francisco is ushering in the Year of the Fire Horse in myriad ways this month.
Why it matters: The cultural holiday is one of the biggest annual celebrations in San Francisco.
- Here are a few events to add to your calendar.
🧧 Take the kids to Chinatown to receive red envelopes with chocolate coins and prizes from characters representing Choy Sun, the deity of wealth.
- 11am–2pm Tuesday at Portsmouth Square. Free.
🀄️ Interact with multicultural Lunar New Year traditions at an adults-only party that includes drinks, mahjong and a meet-and-greet with the Chung Ngai Dance Troupe.
- 6–10pm Thursday at the Exploratorium (Pier 15). Tickets cost $22.95.
👣 Embark on a guided walking tour to learn about the 150-year history of Chinatown, ranging from family associations to jade jewelry shops.
- 10am Wednesday and other dates. Tour starts inside Portsmouth Square Park in front of the parking garage elevators. Free.
🥠 Enjoy a night market filled with offerings from local Asian-owned businesses. There will also be fortune tellers and an LED lion dance performance.
- 6–10pm Thursday at the California Academy of Sciences. Tickets cost $25.
🐎 Learn about the folklore associated with the Fire Horse at a panel discussion moderated by Bay Area author Maxine Hong Kingston.
- 6:30–8pm Thursday at the Mechanics' Institute. Tickets cost $17.85.
🎶 Attend a queer Lunar New Year celebration featuring the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, Mabuhay Bitches, Masala Mahal, Filipin X and more.
- 7–10pm Friday at Chan National Queer Arts Center. Tickets cost $52.
🧋 Swing by Thrive City for food, drinks, cultural performances from the Korean Culture Center's Urisawe drum ensemble and more.
- Noon–3pm Saturday at Thrive City. Free.
🎻 Savor the San Francisco Symphony's Lunar New Year program, featuring Huan-Zhi Li's "Spring Festival," Che-Yi Lee's "Dancing Strings" and an original piece performed by erhu player George Gao.
- Doors open at 4pm Saturday, Feb. 28, at Davies Symphony Hall. Tickets start at $145.
📖 Join author Peggy Nguyễn and illustrator Elliot Griffin for an interactive reading of their new children's book, "Zodiac Animals for Movers."
- 10:30am Sunday at On Waverly. Free.
🎷 Honor the legacy of musician Betty Wong with a performance of traditional Chinese music and jazz hosted by the Community Music Center.
- 1–3pm Sunday, March 1, at Bird & Beckett Books and Music.
🧨 Ring in the Year of the Fire Horse with the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade, which was first organized in the mid-1800s in part to counteract racism and educate the city about Chinese culture. Expect festive floats, lion dancers, firecrackers and more.
- 5:15pm Saturday, March 7. Parade starts at Second and Market streets. Free.
🎉 Browse more than 120 vendor booths and food stands at the Chinese New Year Community Street fair. There will be Chinese folk dancing, opera and drumming, among other performances.
- 10am–4:30pm Saturday, March 7, and 9am–5pm Sunday, March 8, along Grant Avenue between California and Broadway. Free.