Happy Year of the Snake! SF Chinatown kicks off Lunar New Year with a bang

Thursday, January 30, 2025
SF Chinatown kicks off Chinese New Year with a bang
The Year of the Snake kicked off with a spectacular celebration in San Francisco's Chinatown on Wednesday morning.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Year of the Snake kicked off with a spectacular celebration in San Francisco's Chinatown on Wednesday morning, as the community embraced tradition, resilience, and hope for the year ahead.

The festivities began with a bang--literally--as 10,000 firecrackers exploded in Portsmouth Square, a symbolic gesture meant to ward off evil spirits. Spectators from across the Bay Area gathered to witness the start of the 15-day Lunar New Year celebrations, which featured cultural performances, lion dances, and the tradition of dotting the lion's eyes to awaken good fortune.

"I wanted him to experience the culture," said Lisa Moye as she held her two-year-old son. "He is Chinese, and giving him this experience teaches him where he's from," she said while taking in the sights and sounds of the celebration.

San Francisco's Chinatown, the oldest and largest Chinatown outside of China, is home to more than 900 immigrant-owned small businesses. It is also the second most densely populated neighborhood in the city. For many residents and business owners, the New Year represents, not only cultural pride, but also a much-needed economic boost after years of pandemic-related struggles.

"We're expecting more business and more tourists and more visitors coming into Chinatown," said Ed Siu of Chinatown Merchants United.

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Local leaders, including Mayor Daniel Lurie, former Mayor Willie Brown and State Senator Scott Wiener, took the stage to share messages of resilience and transformation.

"When someone wants to pick a fight with San Francisco, my money is on San Francisco every single time," Wiener said, addressing division and attacks on his city coming from Washington.

City Attorney David Chiu reflected on Chinatown's history of perseverance: "Our ancestors, our parents, our grandparents who came here before us, were able to move through challenges--from Chinese exclusion, to fire and earthquakes, to COVID and anti-Asian hate-to help lead the very best Chinatown in the entire country."

For many in attendance, the celebration was an opportunity to wish for a brighter future. Some wished for peace and prosperity, others for an end to crime and discrimination.

"I want peace in the world--happiness and good fortune--none of this Asian hate. That's what I don't like," said Henry Ng of Hercules.

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Ten-year-old Kyler Cheng, who is a member of the SF White Crane lion dancing group, kept his wish simple: "For everybody everywhere to be kind and have no crime."

Cheng says being a dancer is a tradition instilled within him by his father.

As Chinatown's 22 blocks filled with revelers, the community's strength and unity were evident. Whether through the beating of drums, the laughter of children, or the hopeful words of business owners, one message was clear: San Francisco's Chinatown is not just surviving; it is thriving.

"Gong Hay Fat Choy!" said Cher Wong, a local resident, welcoming the new year with joy and optimism.

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