Spectators and performers alike will flood the streets of Chinatown on Sunday for the annual D.C. Chinese Lunar New Year Parade. The celebration will mark the 4722nd year on the lunar calendar, the Year of the Dragon.
Paradegoers can look forward to performances from community and cultural groups, traditional Chinese lions and dragons and a firecracker show at the parade’s finale, according to the event’s organizers, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in partnership with the Mayor's Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs.
“The dragon’s symbolism is luck,” Penny Lee, a spokesperson for the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association told News4’s Tommy McFly. “People born under the Year of the Dragon are charismatic, they’re intelligent, they’re smart people, and they are usually very lucky and gifted.”
Those planning on attending can take the Metro to Gallery Place-Chinatown. The parade will run for about 50 minutes.
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While the festivities are slated to start at 2 p.m., organizers encourage spectators to arrive early to grab food from local Chinese restaurants and find the best place to watch along the parade route.
The parade will start on Sixth and I St. NW and will end on Sixth and H St. NW with the firecracker show.
China is one of many countries celebrating the Lunar New Year. The holiday is known as Tết in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea. Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines are among other countries that celebrate.
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There are many traditions around the holiday, including eating lucky foods and giving loved ones money in red envelopes.
Kung hei fat choi is how you wish someone a joyous and prosperous new year in Cantonese, according to The Philippine Star.
More Lunar New Year celebrations in Washington D.C.
Looking for more ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year and get acquainted with Chinese culture in D.C.?
Our Lunar New Year Scene Setter, Jade Womack of ClockoutDC shared more free and family-friendly recommendations for Lunar New Year.
Free pick
Chinese American Museum
1218 16th St. NW, Washington, D.C.
Details
Explore the funky and fun Chinese American Museum, which was retrofitted from an old house and features rotating exhibits, Womack said.
Their new year celebration on Saturday is full, but you can visit year-round, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free pick
National Museum of Asian Art
1050 Independence Ave. SW
Details
Get acquainted with art and culture from across Asia at the National Museum of Asian Art. The Chinese collection includes more than 13,000 objects, some dating back thousands of years.
Don’t miss the Anyang: China’s Ancient City of Kings centennial exhibit. It’s “the first major exhibition in the United States dedicated to Anyang, the capital of China’s Shang dynasty (occupied ca. 1250 BCE–ca. 1050 BCE),” the museum said.
Free pick
National Postal Museum
2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E., Washington, D.C.
On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the museum will host its Lunar New Year Family Festival with lion dances, crafts, performances, a trivia game and the D.C. library’s book bike.
The Postal Service’s Lunar New Year stamps are some of the most successful ones in their history, according to the National Postal Museum, and you can see them in this virtual exhibit.
Free pick
Lunar New Year Family Celebration
Sat., Feb. 10, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Smithsonian American Art Museum, free
Details
Spend an afternoon in the museum’s Kogod Courtyard enjoying lion dances, performances, face painting for kids and traditional Chinese and Korean art demonstrations.
Free pick
DAR Lunar New Year Festival
Sat., Feb. 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., DAR Museum (1776 D Street, Washington, D.C.)
Details
This family-friendly celebration brings together the Vietnam Society, Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office and the Fairfax High School Korean Club for a day of games, activities are performances.
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