Named one of the world’s top ten parades, the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco is the largest celebration of its kind outside of Asia. It was started in the 1860s and takes place the weekend of the Chinese New Year Community Street Fair (March 7-8, 2026).

2026 Chinese New Year Parade
Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 5:15 – 8 pm – rain or shine
Chinatown, San Francisco
FREE standing room (bleacher seats start at $48 for 2026)

Parade is approximately 1.3 miles in length and lasts about 2 1/2 hours.

A crowd favorite will be the new and spectacular 288-foot Golden Dragon (“Gum Lung”). It takes a team of over 180 men and women from the martial arts group White Crane to carry this dragon throughout the streets of San Francisco.

2026 Parade Route

The parade starts off at 2nd and Market Streets, goes around Union Square, and ends at Kearny Street & Columbus Ave. The distance of the parade route is approximately 1.3 miles. The parade is a free event for all to attend and you may stand anywhere on the parade route, behind the barricades, to watch the parade.

The entire parade route is an excellent place to view the parade but it does get more crowded as you get closer to Chinatown. If you purchased bleacher tickets, we strongly encourage you to check-in to your assigned section by 4:00 PM. Please note that SFPD will begin closing streets around 3pm and we are not responsible for any delays this may cause you to arrive to your assigned bleacher section on time.

The former Bloomingdale’s on Mission Street is getting a major makeover with a massive public mural, This Burning World, by Mississippi Choctaw/Cherokee artist Jeffrey Gibson. Stretching 433 feet long and 66 feet high, the vinyl installation covers the building’s windows and brings a bold, colorful presence to SoMa. The mural will be unveiled February 2, 2026 and will remain on view for at least a year.

The work builds on Gibson’s 2022 video installation This Burning World, which featured footage from upstate New York and the Bay Area. Stills from the original piece are reimagined into a city-block-long tapestry that blends modernist abstraction with Indigenous patterns, creating a vibrant celebration of nature and humanity’s connection to the environment.

Installation is already underway with a team using lifts and scaffolds, turning the former retail facade into a dynamic public artwork. The mural is part of ICA San Francisco’s push to operate as a nomadic institution, adding another colorful stop to the city’s growing collection of large-scale public art.

For more information, please visit the following link

https://sf.funcheap.com/city-guide/sfs-brand-massive-cityblocksized-mural/

KNBR’s 31st Giants FanFest takes place at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Saturday, March 14, 2026. Like last year, this event will take place during Spring Training while the team is in Arizona, so although there will be no active players at this event, it should still be filled with Giants alumni.

The day typically includes live KNBR broadcasts on the field, free former-player autographs, places to take photos, walk on the field (weather permitting), self-guided tours, a kids zone and more.

For more information, please visit the following link

https://sf.funcheap.com/giants-fan-fest/