Happy Lunar New Year!
Did you know that the Golden Dragon Parade, which takes place each year in LA’s Chinatown, is one of the most long-standing events in the city’s history? This year’s parade on February 1, 2020 will mark the 121st Annual Golden Dragon Parade!
To put it in perspective, the parade has been around longer than
The Tournament of Roses (1902)
The Hollywood Bowl (1922)
The Academy Awards (1929)
Perhaps even more impressive, it is the longest-running Lunar New Year parade outside of China.
It began as a unit within the city’s larger La Fiesta de Los Angeles parade, until the 1940s when La Fiesta came to an end. But the Chinese Chamber of Commerce quickly took over, and made it into what it is today. Now with over 110,000 spectators lining the parade route and thousands more viewing the TV broadcast each year, it has become the biggest Lunar New Year event in Southern California.
Along with floats, the parade features dragon dancers, current and former Miss Chinatowns, and celebrity Grand Marshals - maybe the most notable being Bruce Lee in the 1970's. Since then other Grand Marshalls have included David Carradine and Keye Luke from the television series “Kung Fu”, Hugh Hefner (for the Year of the Rabbit, of course!), Lindsay Wagner from “Bionic Woman”, Kieu Chinh from “Joy Luck Club”, and Garrett Wang from “Star Trek Voyagers”.
For more information about this year’s parade visit Golden Dragon Parade.
For a detailed history of the parade check out this article in LAist.
And for information about a customized Private Tour of LA’s Chinatown click here.
The long dragon stands at rest in the street for the La Fiesta de Los Angeles parade, 1901. (The California Historical Society and University of Southern California Digital Library)