Home

Annual Vancouver Chinese New Year Parade

2010 Parade Click Here

2009 Parade Click Here

Our Organizers 

The very first Vancouver Chinese New Year Parade was organized by the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver in 1974.  The event was an instant success and has since become a very popular annual community attraction in Vancouver’s Chinatown. 

As the number of parade entries and participants grew, the parade planning committee also expanded to include memberships from other organizations in recent years.  The Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver has taken over as the lead event organizer for the parade since 1979.  Other event organizers are the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver, the Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association, S.U.C.C.E.S.S., the Chinese Freemasons Vancouver Branch and the Shon Yee Benevolent Association. 

Parade Highlights

According to the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Chinese New Year Parade is ranked as one of the city’s three largest non-commercial annual parades. 

The theme of the Chinese New Year Parade is the celebration of the new Chinese Lunar Year in conjunction with the many diverse and multicultural groups within our community.  The primary objective of the parade organizer is to create a safe and fun event for everyone to enjoy.   

The parade features the largest assembly of traditional lion dance teams in Canada.  There are over fifty (50) colourful and energetic lions from the various local fraternal and martial arts organizations.  Other highlights include multicultural dance groups representing the diverse segments of our Canadian cultural heritage, the Vancouver Police Department Motorcycle Drill Team, marching bands and various community groups. 

Based on recent events, the parade will consist of some sixty (60) non-commercial entries from various local multicultural community groups with an estimated total of 3,000 participants.  The parade has drawn over 50,000 spectators along the parade route and many more television viewers for Omni’s parade coverage.

2010 Parade Schedule

The 2010 Vancouver Spring Festival Parade is on February 14, 2010. Due to coordination activities with the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, the parade will start earlier than normal at 9:30 am and will finish at 11:00 am. 

2010 Parade Schedule

The parade route for 2010 is 1.2 Km long. The parade will start on Pender Street at the intersection of Columbia, travel east along Pender Street, turn south onto Gore Street, turn west onto Keefer Street, continue to travel west along Keefer Street and disperse at Keefer and Columbia (please see map).

Other 2010 Spring Festival Celebration Activities

1. 2010 Winter Games 'Live Site' (11:00 am- 12:00 pm)

After completion of the parade, lion dance teams will continue to march along Keefer Street and head towards the 2010 Winter Games 'Live Site' (located at Beatty and Georgia). Following the lion dance celebration festivities at teh 'Live Site', Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson will proclaim the week of February 14, 2010 at the 'Spring Festival Celebration Week'.

2. Lucky Money (12:00 pm - 1:30 pm)

The lion dance teams will return to Chinatown to collect lucky money from the Chinatown merchants. This is a Chinese tradition for the lion to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune to the merchants.

3. Cultural Fair (11:00 am - 3:00 pm)

This is a new celebration activity in the Spring Festival Program for 2010. The cultural fair will be at the Sun Yat-Sen Garden Courtyard (50 East Pender Street). The theme of this fair is Chinese lanterns. Five hundred (500) lanterns will be hung in strategic locations in Chinatown. It is customary to place riddles on the lanterns for spectators and passersby to have fun solving.

The cultural fair will be filled with various multicultural dances and performances including a finale with all the lion dance teams and martial arts demonstrations.

Parade Pictures

 

   
Enquiries 

For more information on the parade, please contact: info@CBAVancouver.ca