The most celebrated holiday of the year for the nearly 1.5 million people of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese descent living in Southern California, Lunar New Year gets a big welcome in Los Angeles at the Golden Dragon Parade and Festival. Now in its 116th year, the celebration will be held Feb. 21 and is expected to attract more than 100,000 people. Parking and traffic will be challenging.
LA’s Chinatown is easily accessible by Metrolink, and a train ride is a pleasant and low-stress way for whole families to travel together to the parade while avoiding traffic and parking expenses.
To encourage ridership and build excitement on this special day, OCTA will hold a pre-festival at 8 a.m. at the Irvine Station. The first 100 people will receive a free round-trip Metrolink ticket to Los Angeles Union Station (LAUS). The special Lunar New Year program includes traditional Lion Dancers and a chance to win lucky red envelopes.
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After the fun at Irvine Station, riders will take the 9 a.m. Metrolink to LAUS. From there, it’s an easy and free transfer to Chinatown, the first stop on the Metro Gold Line.
Featuring elaborately decorated floats, marching bands, many dignitaries and cultural performances by some of the nation’s best Chinese acts, the Golden Dragon Parade and Festival starts at 1 p.m. is free and open to all ages. Metrolink riders will get there in time to grab a good spot along the parade route. Learn more at octa.net/lunar. Information is available in English, Chinese (PDF), and Vietnamese (PDF).
