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San Francisco got lucky with the weather Saturday night while hosting the Chinese New Year’s Parade 2026.

Under crystal blue skies that made way to twinkling stars, herds of papier-mache white horses galloped along while fiery dragons snaked through Union Square and Chinatown to the tune of high school brass bands and the thrump-thrump of JROTC cadets. 

Grand Marshall and Olympic ski champion Eileen Gu met a community that embraced her.

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Several young children wearing large dice costumes and red shirts stand together in a crowd during an outdoor event.Students from Garfield Elementary dressed as dice and mahjong tiles prepare to march in the Chinese New Year Parade, San Francisco, Calif., March 7, 2026. Photo by Jay A. Martin

People in yellow costumes carry a colorful dragon figure during a parade on a city street, participating in a traditional cultural celebration.Horses and dragons from the Tak Fung Gwoon Martial Arts gallop and dance toward the start of the Chinese New Year Parade, San Francisco, Calif., March 7, 2026.  Photo by Jay A. Martin.

Two men wearing horse costumes and playing musical instruments participate in a parade, with colorful decorations and people blurred in the background.The Year of the Horse. Chinese New Year’s Parade 2026. Photo by Jay A. Martin.

A woman in a red dress sits atop a red convertible decorated with flowers, holding a small object and smiling during a parade. People and vehicles are visible around her.Olympic gold medalist and San Francisco native, Eileen Gu, elegantly regaled the crowd as Grand Marshal of San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade, on Geary Boulevard at Market Street, March 7, 2026. Photo by Jay A. Martin.

A marching band in black and white uniforms plays trombones in a crowded indoor setting, with a large audience in the background.Chinese New Year’s Parade 2026. Photo by Jay A. Martin

A group of people in matching red shirts and dark pants perform a coordinated dance in a street parade, with a crowd watching behind barricades.laska Airlines dancers wowed the crowd with their fan dance at the Chinese New Year Parade, San Francisco, Calif., March 7, 2026.  Photo by Jay A. Martin

Performers in colorful dragon and lion costumes participate in a parade, surrounded by a crowd during a celebration at night.Chinese New Year’s Parade 2026. Photo by Jay A. Martin

A crowd watches fireworks in the evening sky above a city street; a child sits on an adult’s shoulders in the foreground.Chinese New Year’s Parade 2026, under crystal blue skies. Photo by Jay A. Martin

A group of ten people standing outdoors in a park with a city skyline in the background.

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Tagged: Chinatown