The 2024 Chinese New Year Parade just announced the very good get of Awkwafina as the parade’s Grand Marshal for its Year of the Dragon parade coming up Saturday, February 24, 2024.
If you’re the kind of person who fights their post-holiday seasonal affective disorder by celebrating Lunar New Year festivities in SF Chinatown, we've got some rough news. Even though the Chinese New Year technically falls on Saturday, February 10, 2024, the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade won’t be all the way until Saturday, February 24. There is often a week or two between the two observances, but the February 24 SF parade date is the latest it’s fallen on the calendar since 2018.
But the wait should be worth it. For one, it’s a Year of the Dragon, so the red envelope designs and general decorations should be off the hook. And also, the SF Chinese New Year Parade and Festival just announced Tuesday that Awkwafina will be the Grand Marshal of this year’s Lunar New Year Parade, fresh off the Critics Choice Award for her Hulu film Quiz Lady, and her turns in the blockbusters Crazy Rich Asians, Ocean’s 8, and Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. (She also lends a voice in this spring’s upcoming Kung Fu Panda 4.)
“It's such an honor to serve as Grand Marshal of the San Francisco Lunar New Year Parade! I’m so excited to celebrate with our community,” Awkwafina said in a release. “Having been born in the year of the dragon, I look forward to fostering growth and progress that the upcoming year will bring for us.”
You don't have to wait all the way until February 24 for some Lunar New Year action in Chinatown. The celebrated Flower Market Fair is February 3 and 4, the actual Chinese New Year will have a Choy Sun Doe celebration handing out the red envelopes on February 10. Also, the Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Pageant & Coronation Ball is Friday, February 23 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.
And will there be zodiac statues around town celebrating the upcoming Year of the Dragon? There sure will! The Year of the Dragon on Parade statues will debut on Sunday, January 28, and are scheduled to remain on display until March 2.
Related: Photos: Giant Rabbit Statues Ring In the Lunar New Year ‘Year of the Rabbit’ In SF [SFist]
Image: SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 14: Awkwafina attends the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 14, 2024 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
