A colourful Lunar New Year parade is happening in Chinatown this weekend

One of the city’s largest annual parades is returning to Chinatown this weekend to help kick off Lunar New Year celebrations in Vancouver.

The 48th Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Celebration is returning after a two-year hiatus on Sunday, January 22, 2023, the first day of the Year of the Rabbit.

The popular event has attracted over 4,000 participants and 100,000 spectators to the neighbourhood, with family-friendly activities, live entertainment, and more for everyone to enjoy.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S./Facebook

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Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Celebration is organized by community organizations, including the Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver, Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver, Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association, S.U.C.C.E.S.S., Chinese Freemasons Vancouver Branch and Shon Yee Benevolent Association of Canada.

The celebration will feature cultural dance troupes, marching bands, martial arts performances, and the largest assembly of traditional lion dance teams in Canada.

@little_stephy0925/Instagram

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 featuring a wide array of cultural groups will wind its way east along Pender Street, then turn south onto Gore Street.

The colourful parade will turn west onto Keefer Street and then disperses at the intersection of Keefer at Abbott. The entire event is estimated to take about two and a half hours.

@jorden/Instagram

Festivities continue with the Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Fair at Sun Yat-Sen Plaza from 2 to 4 pm and then wrap up with a Spring Festival Celebration Gala Dinner at Floata Seafood Restaurant at 6 pm.

Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Celebration and Parade

When: January 22, 2023
Time: 11 am (parade start), 2 to 4 pm (fair), 6 pm (gala dinner start)
Where: Various locations throughout Chinatown
Cost: Free for parade and fair