Here's which roads will be closed Sunday for the Chinatown Lunar New Year parade
The 50th Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Parade is happening this weekend to commemorate the Year of the Dragon, and with it comes a slew of road closures.
The City of Vancouver has announced that the massive celebration on Sunday, February 11 will cause several traffic impacts throughout the historic neighbourhood.
Drivers and parade attendees should expect delays in the area and plan alternate routes or modes of transportation. The popular event is expected to draw over 5,000 participants and 100,000 spectators.
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Attendees can catch the 1.3 km parade starting at 11 am at the Millennium Gate on Pender Street (between Shanghai Alley and Taylor Street). The procession will wind its way east along Pender Street and then turn south onto Gore Street.
The parade will turn west onto Keefer Street and then disperse at the intersection of Keefer at Abbott. The entire event is estimated to take about two and a half hours.
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Road closures will be in effect on February 11 from 6 am to 4 pm on sections of the following streets:
- Main Street
- Pender Street (East and West)
- Beatty Street
- Abbott Street
- Taylor Street
- Shanghai Alley
- Columbia Street
- Quebec Street
- Carrall Street
- Keefer Street and Keefer Place
- East Georgia Street
- Gore Avenue
- Alleys in the parade area will be closed, including access to private parkades. Residents of Taylor Street and Shanghai Alley will have vehicular access to Keefer Place, westbound only.
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This year’s event will showcase more than 70 cultural groups from various communities, including the largest assembly of traditional lion dance teams in Canada.
However, organizers of the Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Parade are coming under fire after two local organizations — Chinatown Together and Vancouver Lunar New Year For All — announced that their spots in the procession were rescinded.
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“We were elated to participate in the parade… We had excited families, youth, seniors, and our friends from a Chinatown intergenerational queer and trans group, and more ready to celebrate with us in Chinatown,” Chinatown Together posted on Instagram.
“The decision to rescind our place in the parade is divisive and questionable. While we are no longer welcomed by the parade committee, we will continue to move forward as Chinatown Together with our events. This isn’t a setback, but a disappointment.”
Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Celebration and Parade
When: February 11, 2024
Time: 11 am (parade begins), 2 to 4 pm (fair), 6:30 pm (gala dinner begins)
Where: Various locations throughout Chinatown
Cost: Free for parade and fair