Celebrating Year of the Dragon in San Francisco

The Year of the Dragon is approaching, ruled by the fabulous beast that is the most powerful sign in the Chinese zodiac. And the San Francisco Bay area, with its rich tradition of Chinese culture, has a host of events planned.

Named one of the top ten parades in the world, the South West Airlines Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco is one of the few night illuminated parades in the country. Started in 1860's by the Chinese in San Francisco as a mean to educate the community about their culture, the parade and festival have grown to be the largest celebration of Asian culture outside of Asia. Since 1958, the parade has been under the direction of Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Over 100 units will participate in the parade, continues to delight and entertain the many hundreds of thousands of people that come to watch it on the street on Saturday, February 11, 2012.