Mickey Mouse Headlines Chinese New Year Parade & Festival

The 109th Annual Golden Dragon Parade

This being the “Year of the Rat,” Disney’s beloved Mickey Mouse will serve as Grand Marshal for the 109th Annual Golden Dragon Parade, on Saturday, February 9 from 2pm- 5pm along Broadway and Hill Streets. The largest and oldest parade of its kind in Southern California will feature over 100 floats, marching bands, celebrity cars, and costumed organizations with Chinese roots who will march through the streets to the delight of the 100,000 anticipated onlookers.

In celebration of the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics, Consul General Zhang Yun of the People’s Republic of China will lead the parade in a ceremonial car, followed by the five Olympic mascots (representing the 5-ring Olympic logo). Each mascot embodies a specific Chinese word which, when strung together, form the phrase “Beijing Welcomes You.” The Consul General’s entourage will be followed by a 100-member flower drum dance corps and other costumed performers from Beijing, and culminates with another set of the five Olympic mascots.

Waiving from his parade car, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will don Chinese garb and ride in the procession along with other local government officials and city council members. LAPD Chief William Bratton will serve as an Honorary Grand Marshal and will be joined by newly-appointed Deputy Chief Terry Hara, the LAPD's first Asian American to earn that ranking. Always a popular parade attraction, the newly crowned 2008 Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Queen, Sharon I. Ha, will ride on a float accompanied by 1st Princess Debbie Tran, 2nd Princess Karin Yi Chieh Lin, 3rd Princess Jackie Tsang, 4th Princess Jody Chan, and 2008 Miss Friendship Tiffany Jennell Kwong.

The Chinese New Year Festival

Before taking his position in the parade, Grand Marshal Mickey Mouse will make an early appearance at the weekend-long Chinese New Year Festival. The free festival will take place at the corner of Broadway and Cesar Chavez streets from 10am to 8pm on Saturday, and from 10am to 6pm on Sunday. New this year, pan-Asian entertainers will headline the festival, including Filipino and Thai dancers, Taiko drummers, and Asian pop bands. An adjunct stage, the Korean Sparkling Pavilion, will present Korean classical and pop performers. With another nod to the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics, sensational Chinese acrobatic acts of pole climbing and hoop diving, as well as contortion acts and Shaolin Temple martial arts will be showcased. For the first time ever, the Golden Dragon Parade’s “Little King and Queen” contest will take place on stage featuring 5 and 6-year-olds competing in song and monologue. Popular comedian Dat Phan (original winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing) will emcee. Children will also enjoy crafts and games geared toward them while festival goers of all ages will be able to partake of a variety of Asian food offerings cooked on the spot. A pay-to-view Import Show-off car show will be featured at the Cathay Bank parking lot (corner of Hill and Alpine streets) from 11am to 6pm on Sunday. Lastly, Southwest Airlines tickets will be raffled away on both Saturday and Sunday, with raffle tickets available from the LA 18 booth.

Chinatown streets will also be decked out for the New Year. Over 150 “Year of the Rat” banners created by French-born artist Pascaline Doucin-Dahlke will hang on street light poles throughout the area. The banners are sponsored by the L.A. Chinatown Business Improvement District and San Antonio Winery. The colorful design captures the multi-faceted image of today’s contemporary Chinatown which is both the historic heart of Southern California’s Chinese-American community, and an internationally recognized center for cutting edge art and culture.

Parking is plentiful throughout Chinatown, although Hill and Broadway streets will be closed to accommodate the festival. Both parade and festival are also easily accessed by bus or via Metro Gold Line rail from the Chinatown Station, a short walk away. Information about street closures can be found at www.chinatownla.com.

The 2008 Chinese New Year events are organized by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, in partnership with LA 18, Southern California's #1 Asian-language TV station. Founded in 1976, LA 18 brings news and entertainment in 13 languages to the largest U.S. Asian market--composed of over 2.5 million Asian consumers.

Other sponsors include KNBC4, Southwest Airlines, Cathay Bank, the Chinatown Business Improvement District, Commerce Casino, Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, Councilmember Ed Reyes – First Council District, EDI Media, Inc., Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort, San Diego North, Sunrider International, LA 18 KSCI-TV, American International Culture Exchanges Foundation, Empress Pavilion Restaurant, FedEx, HSBC Bank USA, Macy's, Pacific Alliance Medical Center, United Commercial Bank, Face & Body Laser Skin Clinic, Rusnak Auto Group, Sing Tao Newspaper, The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites, WCETV, China Trust Bank, Disneyland, Downtown News, East West Bank, ImaginAsian Entertainment, Inc., JCPenney, Korean Sparkling, L.A. County Park & Recreation Department, MWH, Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary, Royal Jewelry, Verizon Wireless, and Walmart.

For more information, contact the Chinese Chamber at (213) 617-0396 or the Chinatown Business Improvement District at (213) 680-0243.

The following streets will be closed from 6am to 7pm.

  • Ord Street from New High to Hill Street
  • Cesar Chavez Avenue from New High to Grand Avenue
  • North Broadway from Arcadia Street to Bernard Street
  • Bernard Street from North Broadway to Hill Street
  • Hill Street from Bernard Street to Temple Street
  • Spring Street from Cesar Chavez to Temple Street

posted on 2008-01-28 - Special Events


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