Lunar New Year Parade takes over Chinatown

Families from the Washington area gathered to celebrate community, culture and history.

Daisy Bateman and Jacob Saucier

February 4, 2025

Global Federation of Chinese Businesswomen in Baltimore members holding their banner to start the parade.

Crowds lined the streets of the district’s Chinatown on Sunday for the annual Lunar New Year Parade, a vibrant celebration marking the arrival of the Year of the Snake. The event was hosted by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in partnership with the D.C. Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs. It featured traditional lion and dragon dances, martial arts performances and a group advocating for D.C. government and developers to stop development in the community. The nearby Portrait Gallery and local businesses also partook in the celebration. Firecrackers echoed through the neighborhood as performers in elaborate costumes paraded down H Street, symbolizing prosperity and renewal.

Correction: The parade was celebrating the Year of the Snake. A previous version of the article incorrectly referred to it as the Year of the Dragon.

Woman from the Moy Family Association interacting with the crowd. (Daisy Bateman)

A Clown from the Almas Shriners Clowns & Motorcade waving a Chinese and American flag. (Daisy Bateman)

Close up photo of a dragon from the Jow Ga Shaolin Lion and Dragon Dance Troupe. (Daisy Bateman)

The Smithsonian celebrates Chinatown’s martial arts cultural heritage in their Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond exhibit at the SAAM. (Jacob Saucier)

Young Shaolin Temple Kung Fu School student exhibiting skills he recently picked up alongside other students also in attendance at the parade. (Daisy Bateman)

Members of the Save Chinatown Solidarity Network advocating for no developing in the area. (Daisy Bateman)

Young dancer from the Excel Academy All Girls Charter School Drumline smiling for a camera. (Daisy Bateman)

Young child on his dad’s shoulders watching the parade pass through. (Daisy Bateman)

A sculpture of sashes mourning the closed Wah Shing Kung Fu school, by Terence Nicholson. On display at the Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond exhibit at the SAAM. (Jacob Saucier)

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About the Contributors

Daisy Bateman, Multimedia Contributor

Daisy Bateman (she/her) is a junior from Ireland in AU’s School of Public Affairs. She started getting into photography in high school, taking photos of her dad’s rowing team on the weekends and turning this hobby into a bigger extracurricular in college. After graduating, Daisy wants to work in lobbying and potentially be a contributing photographer at a smaller news source.

Jacob Saucier, Multimedia Contributor

Jacob Saucier (he/him) is a photographer and photojournalist focused on capturing urban life, live music and events in the D.C. metropolitan area.

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Lunar New Year Parade takes over Chinatown

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