Thousands watch San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade along Market Street
Vibrant red and gold shimmered down Market Street in San Francisco as Bay Area performers and floats of shiny snakes glided down the parade route on Saturday.
"We have been in the Bay Area for 15 years. This is the first time we see the parade and so we're excited," Jerry Zhang told CBS News Bay Area.
He, along with hundreds of other spectators, were staking out along Market Street to grab a good spot to watch the performances.
"It's pretty cool. It's not every day you get to have a snake around you," Titus Chin, a student at Tat Wong Kung Fu Academy, motioned to his snake doll around his uniform.
"We've been teaching kung fu in the Bay Area for more than 40 years since 1983. And this, we've been doing the parade this whole time," Master Felipe Godoy of Tat Wong Kung Fu Academy told CBS News Bay Area.
The parade began on Market and Second Streets around 5 p.m. and made its way down Kearny and Jackson Streets.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie was one of the notable guests, as the honorary marshal of the Chinese New Year Parade.
This annual tradition is a cherished experience for Bay Area residents that all began in the 1860s by Chinese immigrants in San Francisco.
The parade had run smoothly for the most part, except for a minor delay due to one of the floats running out of gas. There was also heavy law enforcement presence throughout the perimeters of the parade to ensure the safety of everyone there.
"It's actually really exciting, it's a bonding experience with all of us. And it's exciting to potentially be on TV, too," Emily Huynh, a parade volunteer with the Peninsula Asian Youth Group, told CBS News Bay Area.
The festivities continue through the weekend. The community street fair will begin in Chinatown at 9 a.m. on Sunday.