Back from a whirlwind of stardom and controversy at the Winter Olympics in Milan, gold medalist Eileen Gu returned home Saturday night to lead San Francisco’s annual Chinese New Year Parade.
Gu, who was born and raised in the city, has been castigated as a traitor (opens in new tab) on social media for representing China — her mother’s home country — on the world stage. But as she lit firecrackers at the Union Square television broadcast zone to officially kick off the parade, she was simply a daughter of San Francisco’s Chinese community.
“Growing up in San Francisco, this was a huge part of my childhood, and I remember going every year,” Gu said in a statement ahead of the event.
“Being part of the Asian community in San Francisco and coming back to my roots is something I’m so much looking forward to.”
Gu is now attending Stanford University while pursuing a career in modeling and fashion. She was named the parade’s grand marshal ahead of the Olympics, where she earned one gold and two silver medals. Combined with her medals from the 2022 Beijing Games, Gu is now the most decorated freestyle skier (opens in new tab) in history.
The parade is a long-standing tradition in Chinatown, spanning roughly 1.5 miles from downtown to Chinatown. It is considered the largest nighttime parade in the United States and the biggest Lunar New Year celebration outside of Asia.
2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, with the theme “Horse Leads to Success(马到成功).”
Parade director Tong Lau said organizers were expecting record attendance at this weekend’s festivities, with around 800,000 to 1 million people. “All the tickets are already sold out,” Lau told The Standard in Cantonese.
More than 100 groups marched in the parade, including corporations, nonprofits, schools, community organizations, and politicians. There were 17 floats, with the largest one sponsored by Alaska Airlines.
In recent years, the parade has featured mostly Hollywood celebrities with Asian heritage as grand marshals, including Michelle Yeoh (opens in new tab), Joan Chen, Awkwafina, Daniel Wu, and Rich Ting. Celebrity DJ Zhu, who performed at Mayor Daniel Lurie’s inauguration party in Chinatown, also appeared in this year’s parade.
“We hope the event reminds people of their roots,” Lau said. “And that the next generation can carry this history forward.”