The 51st Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Parade is happening this weekend to commemorate the Year of the Snake, and with it comes a slew of road closures.
Vancouver Chinatown BIA Society has announced that the massive celebration on Sunday, February 2, 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.
Lunar Year Parade (@scootercooks/Instagram)
Attendees can catch the 1.3 km parade 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 and then turn south onto Gore Street.
The colourful parade will turn west onto Keefer Street and then disperse at the intersection of Keefer at Carrall. The entire event is estimated to take about three hours.
Lunar New Year Parade (Sergei Bachlakov/Shutterstock)
Road closures will be in effect on February 2 from 8 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.
Parking restrictions in the area will begin after 6 am.
Chinatown BIA
This year’s event will showcase more than 70 cultural groups from various communities. Attendees can expect to see dance troupes, marching bands, martial arts performances, and traditional lion dance and dragon dance teams.
The 2024 event drew nearly 200,000 spectators, so make sure to arrive early to snag a good viewing spot.
Festivities continue with the free Spring Festival Cultural Fair at the Chinese Cultural Centre and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Plaza from 2 to 4 pm, with multicultural artistic performances and more for all ages to enjoy.
Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Celebration and Parade
When: February 2, 2025
Time: 11 am (parade start), 2 to 4 pm (fair)
Where: Various locations throughout Chinatown
Cost: Free for parade and fair