San Francisco bolsters police, fire staffing for Lunar New Year events

Mayor Daniel Lurie framed Lunar New Year preparations as a continuation of Super Bowl operations, saying, "Hundreds of thousands of visitors came from around the world for Super Bowl 60. We hosted more than 300 events across our city, and our public safety teams were prepared and coordinated." He added, "Now, we're going to build on that momentum," and city leaders said the San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco Fire Department and the Office of Emergency Management will be fully staffed throughout the celebration.

The city’s street-level kickoff was the Lunar New Year Flower Market Fair on Feb. 15, which transformed Grant Avenue between Clay Street and Broadway into more than 120 booths and concession stands selling fresh candies, fruits and flowers. The market featured performances by Chinese acrobats, folk dancers, magicians and opera singers and drew shoppers to the heart of Chinatown.

Today at Portsmouth Square the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce staged Choy Sun Doe Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., distributing red envelopes to children as part of the folk-god-of-wealth traditions. Organizers planned envelopes containing chocolate gold coins; they said some envelopes would include money or a gift certificate that can be exchanged for a toy.

Looking ahead, the Alaska Airlines Chinese New Year Parade is set for Saturday, March 7 at 5:15 p.m., with a route that begins at 2nd and Market Streets, circles around Union Square and finishes at Kearny Street and Columbus Avenue. Parade organizers bill the event as a free, night-illuminated procession featuring over 100 units, elaborate floats, performers and firecrackers; the showstopping Golden Dragon "Gum Lung" measures 288 feet and is puppeted by a team of 180 people.

Evening programming includes the Exploratorium's "After Dark: New Moon, New Year" on Feb. 19 at Pier 15 from 6 to 10 p.m., with tickets available online for $22.95. The museum's schedule lists traditional Chinese crafts, games and performances, mah-jongg lessons, a Year of the Horse presentation and drum and lion-dance appearances by members of the Chung Ngai Dance Troupe. A NightLife event titled "Lunar Underground" is also listed for Feb. 19.

A Community Street Fair is listed on event calendars for Saturday and Sunday, March 7 and 8 on Grant between California and Broadway; other calendar entries tie fair hours to mid-February dates, and the city has not released a consolidated public schedule reconciling those listings. Parade organizers and neighborhood business groups control permits and street closures along Grant and surrounding blocks during the weekend events.

City leaders spent Tuesday meeting with Chinatown business owners to review plans and safety measures, but officials have not released operational staffing numbers, special-duty deployments, detailed traffic or road-closure plans. The mayor's office has emphasized the use of the Super Bowl staffing model, while SFPD, SFFD and OEM remain the principal agencies pledged to maintain coverage across the Flower Market, Portsmouth Square programming, museum nights and the March 7 parade.