1000s Turn Out For San Francisco's Annual Lunar New Year Parade, Festival

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- San Francisco's two-week celebration of the Year of the Horse culminated with the Chinese New Year Parade on Saturday along with the Chinatown Community Street Fair.

The parade, an annual tradition in a city with the world's largest Chinese population outside of Asia, started 5:15 p.m. at Second and Market streets downtown and proceeded along Geary, Powell, Post and Kearny streets to Chinatown.

Over 100 groups participated in the parade, including high school marching bands, martial arts groups, stilt walkers, lion dancers and acrobats with floats, elaborate costumes and firecrackers.

Bringing up the rear was the 201-foot-long Golden Dragon, an enormous puppet made in the small town of Foshan, China, which will be accompanied by over 600,000 firecrackers.

It took a team of 100 men and women to carry the dragon. It is also considered an honor to be chosen for the grand finale.

Saturday's street fair continues on Sunday and features demonstrations of traditional Chinese arts, folk dance and puppet shows.

If you attended the parade, KPIX 5 and KCBS Radio want you to be part of our coverage. Share your parade photos and video with us. Click here for more info.

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