Lunar New Year celebration kicks off in San Francisco's Chinatown

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco welcomed in the Lunar New Year on Saturday.

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Dragons, drummers and firecrackers took over the streets of Chinatown for the first day of the Year of the Rat.

The festival celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunar calendar.

Mayor London Breed and other city officials helped ring in the annual Chinese New Year event held at Portsmouth Square

The Salvation Army also hosted a meal for 500 residents of Chinatown.