2021 Chinese New Year Parade has been canceled
Pandemic puts a temporary halt to the popular event
One year after San Francisco’s popular Chinese New Year Parade was nearly put on hiatus because of growing concerns over the coronavirus and crowds, the 2021 version has been officially canceled as the pandemic continues.
“While we are very hopeful for positive changes in the coming year, we must deal with our current conditions and recognize that plans for everyone’s safety in the future is our most important responsibility,” the parade organizers, the San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce, announced in a press release.
Instead, the Year of the Ox will be celebrated with painted ox statues around the city — similar to the hearts in San Francisco and sharks in San Jose citywide artistic campaigns of previous years — and a broadcast special at 6 p.m. Feb. 20, the time when the live parade would normally be broadcast on KTVU Fox 2 and KTSF 26.
The parade. which draws hundreds of thousands of spectators, is one of the few illuminated nighttime parades in the world. Together with the festivals, the event has reigned for years as the largest such celebration outside Asia.
According to the chamber, the tradition started in the years after the Gold Rush when members of the Chinese community sought to share their culture with the thousands of people who flocked to San Francisco and the gold mines to seek their fortune.
“Like an ox, with fortitude and hard work, together we will build a bright and resilient 2021,” the organizers said.