NYC Lunar New Year Parade: Road closures, routes, info
People visit a dragon lantern decoration with energy-saving LED lights ahead of the lunar new year at the Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen temple in Jenjarom, some 50 kilometres southwest of Kuala Lumpur on January 26, 2024. (Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP) (Photo
NEW YORK - The Year of the Dragon is here and the annual NYC Lunar New Year Parade is back in Chinatown.
The parade will begin around 1 p.m. on Mott and Canal Streets, before making its way towards Grand Street.
Tons of festival booths will line the route of the parade.
Although it's still winter, the Lunar New Year is known as the spring festival, celebrating a season of planting and harvests, new beginnings, and fresh starts.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 21: People participate in the 2023 Lunar New Year Parade on January 21, 2023 in the Queens Borough of New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
People all around the world celebrate the Lunar New Year, marking the holiday with rich cultural traditions that originate as far back as 3.500 years ago in China.
At the parade, elders typically give out red envelopes that include money as a symbol of good fortune.
NYC Lunar New Year Parade Route
NYC Road closures
The annual Lunar New Year Celebration is here.
The route will start on Mott and Canal head to Chatham Square to East Broadway towards the Manhattan Bridge, completing on Eldridge and Forsyth Streets towards Grand Street next to Sara D. Roosevelt Park.
Formation:
- Mott Street between Broome Street and Canal Street
- Hester Street between Bowery and Mulberry Street
Route:
- Mott Street between Canal Street and Chatham Square
- East Broadway between Chatham Square and Forsyth Street
- Eldridge Street between East Broadway and Hester Street
- Hester Street between Eldridge Street and Forsyth Street
- Forsyth Street between Hester Street and Grand Street
- Chatham Square between Mott Street and East Broadway
Dispersal:
- Forsyth Street between Grand Street and Delancy Street
- Broome Street between Forsyth Street and Eldridge Street
The parade is Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
2024 is the year of the wood dragon
Every Lunar New Year holds a special meaning based on an animal from the Chinese zodiac and an accompanying element (wood, fire, earth, water, metal).
The Chinese zodiac consists of 12 different animals, which include the rat, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, ox, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
This year, 2024, is the year of the wood dragon.
Wood dragon meaning
The year of the wood dragon is believed to bring good luck, especially for those looking to focus more on their careers.
Wood dragons are intelligent, and attractive and are universally liked, according to Chinesenewyear.net.
They usually have a good sense of timing and strike success fairly easily.
Lunar New Year traditions
Nearly two billion people around the globe celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as Chunjie – the "Lunar New Year" or "Spring Festival" when translated to English.
In China, many families deep clean their homes the day before Lunar New Year begins.
This is usually done to rid homes of bad luck.
Food, trinkets and paper offerings are also extended to ancestors or deities, including whole chickens, fruit, tea, sculptures, incense and candles.
Other celebration rituals include hanging lucky scroll messages, setting off firecrackers or fireworks, eating long noodles and dumplings with symbolic meanings and exchanging cash gifts.
FOX News Digital contributed to this report.