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    Golden Dragon Parade

    3.4 (25 reviews)

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    Anthony P.

    This is our second year attending the Chinese New Year Parade, and it wont be our last. Like any other parade I'd recommend that you get there early and plan ahead. Yelp is a great source for food and things to do in the area. If you want char siu bao, jian dui (sesame balls), or rice cake we like to go to Long's Family Bakery. You should take public transit or get dropped off because they shut down roads and traffic/parking is impossible. It's great to see a diverse community come together to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The parade features princesses on floats, lion dances, marching bands, motorcycle cops doing tricks, and much more. At the very end they pop firecrackers (it is very loud for those who have sensitive ears). After the parade the festivities continue at the Central Plaza located at 943 N Broadway. This year they had food trucks, Shaolin Kung Fu, and Chinese acrobats. If you live in LA and haven't been to this free event, I highly recommend that you check it out. See you all next year!

    Mary B.

    The year of the rabbit, 2011. A cultural parade marches through Chinatown Los Angeles to usher in the new year. Food stands are set up. Parking costs ten times more than the norm in the area. Learn how to take the metro friends! It is great! Vince V. (a fellow Latin yelper) and I parked in Highland Park and rode the metro Gold line to the Chinatown station. *Near the heart of the parade. The Gold line runs from Pasadena/Sierra Madre Villa station to East LA. The Gold line connects via Union station to all of the other metro lines and a large number of city buses. Chinatown is not a far walk from Union Station in downtown LA. The streets of Chinatown are crowded on any weekend. This weekend, it was especially crowded. Families line the streets in anticipation of the parade. Many, like me, are armed with cameras. The parade began with city officials waving to the crowd from slow motion convertible cars trying to secure the vote for the next election. Clubs and local high schools marched with brass bands waving signs and banners. Our brothers and sisters serving active duty in the armed forces, did not need a band or banner to win the applause of the entire crowd watching. Neither did the groups rallying for equal opportunities. Like gay marriage and equal rights etc. Paper dragons floated by in pieces held by the tandem effort of dozens of friends. The culture, and festive spirit was not lost on me just because the city officials and local companies try to do their best to capitalize on the opportunity to market to us. Fathers hold small fries on shoulders so that small eyes can get a better view. Old friends share umbrellas to gain shelter from the sun. Me and Vince are applauding the school pride, the military pride, the civic pride, the cultural pride, the gay pride and the hard work and efforts of everyone who was part of the parade.:-) I highly recommend taking the metro to this event next year. Bring: sunblock, an umbrella and a folding chair. Chances are that it will be sunny. Happy new year rabbit! I'll see you here next year.:-)

    anne w.

    My family and I hadn't been to this event in maybe 5 years? We forgot how much fun it is! What a wonderfully diverse city we have. So good to be reminded of that. Fun Fact: this year's was the 120th annual. My math puts the first one in 1899. That's, like, Pre-Historic for Los Angeles!

    Chris M.

    The Parade was not what I expected from A Chinese New Year Celebration.... Worst thing was there were barely any vendors selling drinks or snacks in or around the parade... It wasn't till after the Parade that we were able to find food... Everything was bunched up around Hop Louie's in that Market square so things got a little crazy I mean couple thousand people in attendance and there was only 4 food trucks not cool. Seemed like a lot of poor preparation on part of the Chamber of Commerce... I will say that the people that had to walk with the Dragons did a Great Job especially in the heat... If it weren't for visitors purchasing and using the pop fireworks it would have been less fun for the children present... I thought that during parades there should be at least things for kids like small candies to be thrown from the cars or small toys heck even business flyers "None of that present" You figure with a Chinese Celebration that there were would also be tons of cool things to purchase but again there wasn't ... Crazy thing is the only people that made out with this Parade were the Parking Lot Owners @ $10-$30 per car they cashed in "Big Time"!!! I just hope that next year is a whole lot better....

    David Y.

    Every year we look forward to watching this Chinese New Year parade. Each year that we have been to this parade, we had sunny warm weather. Well this year, the skies were cloudy but luckily it did not rain. It was a little on the cool side, but we still had an enjoyable time. The parade itself is 120 years old with many different entries such as floats with beauty queens on them, lion dances, dragon dances, matching bands from different high schools, police motorcycles, firetrucks and expensive cars with local area politicians and TV personalities. The parade itself travels along Hill Street from Temple Street then turn right to N. Broadway and back onto Caesar Chavez. It's about 1.5 hours long. The best place to watch is somewhere on N. Broadway and Caesar Chavez because this where the grand stand is. It's best to go there early to get a good spot, as the parade route fills up fast and is about 4 to 5 people deep in some areas. At the end of this route, they put on a massive firecracker display with lions dancing around the exploding firecrackers. If you decide to watch the firecrackers, beware it's very loud. It's a good idea to have earplugs. I also recommend a face mask, as the massive smoke and fragments from the firecrackers might hit you directly on your face, depending on which way the wind is blowing. As for parking, it is extremely difficult to find a free parking in the neighbourhood. I usually pay $8 and park underneath the MTA building which is adjacent to the Union Station. The walk from there to the parade area is approximately 15 minute. For those who have never been to this Chinese New Year parade, I would recommend you go experience this long standing celebration of Chinese New Year and take in all the festivities.

    Tom P.

    Dragons, Dancing Lions, Confetti cannons, and Neon. Always fun at this lunar parade. Less crowded than Rose Parade. 1pm Golden Dragon Parade. Floats, marching band, community groups. 3pm 2k Firecrackers at Dragon Gate 4pm-8pm LAWeekly concerts at Plaza Square

    Sonnet A.

    Definitely take the train. Parking is at least $20 and the station is only a few blocks from the main stage. Whoever recommended folding chairs must have shown up really early. The street was so crowded, we had to stand and peer over heads. I regretted bringing the chairs, they were a pain to carry through the crowds. I kept bumping people. We came for the second 1/2 and parade and stayed for the festival. It seemed like a good strategy. What we saw of the parade was weak (maybe the best was at the beginning), I recommend skipping the parade and just going to the festival (which goes on Sunday too BTW). I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed the dragon dancers- great performance!!!

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    Ask the Community - Golden Dragon Parade

    Review Highlights - Golden Dragon Parade

    I recommend walking up north on Broadway or Hill afterwards, to the Chinatown plaza to check out the Lunar New Year festival.

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    Santa Monica Festival

    Santa Monica Festival

    4.2
    (10 reviews)
    13.0 mi

    Twenty-two years and going strong, that's the Santa Monica Festival not me, if only. Although 90+…read moredegree heat was predicted, a light marine layer, cool ocean breezes created a pleasant backdrop to showcase this year's sustainability themed event, as well as, events within like, the Juneteenth Celebration, A Taste of Summer with the Annenberg Beach House and the Santa Monica Farmers Market Challenge which pitted Nyesha Arrington http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-9/bio/nyesha-arrington and Josie Le Balch http://www.josierestaurant.com/ to create a $15 meal for four. I fear this foodie was a festival wimp because I was too wiped to hang out for their food fight. A myriad of activities for folks of all ages with kids really digging the Big Blue Bus and trash recycling truck to hop on and explore. The free bike valet http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/santa-monica-festival-santa-monica-2?select=vH2e66N3SWb9kldxGYxzyg#uVsNV593GV0zcfWGsam18g encouraged leaving the car at home as my friends and I did. Plenty of food trucks http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/santa-monica-festival-santa-monica-2?select=vH2e66N3SWb9kldxGYxzyg#8h3JhmFhSm4yY2dSUK3G3g and even a fashionmobile http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/santa-monica-festival-santa-monica-2?select=vH2e66N3SWb9kldxGYxzyg#_UknuOz5Hw8CSlqpB0GlAw ! Santa Monica is indeed a city of cultural activities and well-honed services to be taken advantage of by all. More here: http://www.smgov.net/Portals/Culture/content.aspx?id=15035 Highlight for me was artist Cassandra Tondro's http://tondro.com/ "From Cans to Canvas" interactive painting experience http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/santa-monica-festival-santa-monica-2?select=vH2e66N3SWb9kldxGYxzyg#wUrJjuqoQeDWgII5lKypig http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/santa-monica-festival-santa-monica-2?select=vH2e66N3SWb9kldxGYxzyg#1rjspkly2CXSvNRTZ6H9sg If you missed today's festival, do bookmark it for 2014, trust me, it's worth it!

    We came, we saw, we thronged! From a distance, the Santa Monica Festival at Clover Park looked like…read moreany other free outdoor community event, a weekend sea of pedestrians and rows of white tents and bold lettered banners. But Saturday was cool, Clover's grass was green, and the atmosphere was indeed festive. There were several options for free or metered parking in supervised lots within walking distance, making at least our vehicular arrival and departure quick and painless. After leaving the car, we made a beeline for the park's restrooms, where, as it typically happens whenever we step out to a fairground, we spent a considerable chunk of our visit waiting our turns in slow-moving lines. Plenty of music filled our ears while we waited, especially the notes coming from center stage, where a featured group, The Lions, sounded particularly captivating. We quietly joined standing watchers later on, just in time to see The Lions wrap up their soulful and energetic gig. Festival treats were also close at hand, so we couldn't miss tasting Linde's old-fashioned sugar roasted almonds. We followed our noses to her popular table where I impulsively grabbed us a couple of warm paper cones in a sweet twofer deal. Linde jokingly asked if we were unable to share, to which I honestly replied, "yes." It was a fair-tastic time. The usual apparel gifts and arts-and-craftsy things were available for passers-by to browse and purchase, and interactive activities engaged families, kids, and kids-at-heart. It seemed apparent to us after one walk-through that the city government was out to connect with and educate visitors in exchange for cheap swag and fun, with a number of public service kiosks that let you spin wheels and answer questions for prizes. We didn't get around to checking everything out (see Tess M.'s yelp here: http://bit.ly/11hmlqO for some neat things we missed), but all in all, the Festival was pleasant and low-key, which is pretty much Santa Monica in a nutshell.

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    Haunted Night in Little Tokyo

    4.0
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    I didn't know there was a Haunted Little Tokyo 2017, but I attended the 2nd edition, full of…read moreHalloween extravaganza of events in this cool part of town. There were cool screenings of horror movies, starting with "Prince of Darkness" on Oct. 5th., showed at one of the locations where it was shot, a fun Block Party on Saturday, Oct. 27th, a haunted tour of the area and there will be a Trick or Treat on 31st. It's a great idea, the area comes to life during this time, there are many activities for the season. People who come here like to dress up anyways, so the Block Party was a fun event to people watch, many cool costumes around, a beer garden, food trucks, DJ, various vendors. It started at 6 pm and went to midnight. The city that never sleeps.... A very cool way to have a Halloween party, I wish they had more acts on the stage, but the Haunted Little Tokyo is a great idea. And it can get spooky...

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    Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival

    Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival

    4.4
    (66 reviews)
    2.1 mi

    I'm pretty disappointed with the event we attended last night. Purchased VIP tickets and was only…read moreabout 10 people from the front. When we entered at 6:30 (an hour early for VIP), the place was somehow already crowded?? Minutes later, it was hard to even walk inside the hangar. We were shoulder to shoulder with people. Luckily we got to sample most foods. The food selection was great. Plenty of wine tastings and other drink options. The issue was not the food. The problem was how incredibly crowded it was. Around 7:30 when it was time for the general admission entry, I thought there's no way they could fit anymore people in here. Then it became SO CROWDED that you literally could NOT WALK or get to anything! People were bumping into each other trying to get anywhere. It just became an extremely stressful experience trying to get to anything, so we just left. I just want to say shame on LA Food and Wine for overselling and cramming as many people in like a SARDINE CAN! This used to be a wonderful event and I was so excited to finally be able to attend again, only to be disappointed. THIS WAS A FIRE HAZARD! There's no way that many people in that hangar was safe in any way.

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    Good drinks
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    4.3
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    12.2 mi

    I really do miss live shows and getting a chance to get that feeling of happiness when you go to…read moreshows with friends, listen to great live music, and make memories. With the pandemic still very much so at large, we are very limited to these types of experiences, but Insomniac was able to pull this off, while still keeping everyone safe. The only downfall (and quite big IMO), was the wait time to enter the first weekend. We waited over an hour to enter GA, and eventually was asked if we wanted to upgrade to VIP for $50. I wish we were asked this in the beginning, but I wonder if they've been able to fix this problem since then. Also, if anyone has attended this and knows the link to the official playlist on Spotify, please send it my way! I'd love to bookmark this entire playlist to listen in my car.

    Tickets are $69.99 during the week, $89.99 Fridays and Saturdays, $79.99 on Sundays. An additional…read more$59.95 to upgrade to VIP (up to 8 people per car) and another $20.00 for the service fee. Yeah, it adds up and it doesn't seem worth it, but if there's 8 of you in the car and split the tab, it isn't too bad. We came through on a Friday night. We opted for the VIP package and bypassed pretty much everyone (that line looked like a thousand miles long, so that alone threw all regrets, doubts and second thoughts out the window!) Bypassing the long line was one thing, but then my passengers' bladders decided to go in sync and in unison all needed a bathroom break BEFORE the drive. The VIP package came in handy once again - they have a separate set of porta-potties for VIP peeps, too! Needless to say, there were no lines there either. So, yeah, off to a good start. I didn't really know what to expect, so I decided not to expect too much. There were a lot of mixed reviews on Yelp (complaints were mostly about the cost) so I kept an open mind. THE VERDICT: Totally WORTH IT. This whole production was well put-together. It was beautifully created with a lot of imagination. The engineering and construction alone were astonishing, how long did it take them to put it all up! And I really liked that they coordinated all the lights' movements with the music coming off the assigned radio station (107.9.) And those souls braving the cold as they entertained us with their dance moves... KUDOS! (I didn't get to see what's in the VIP box but going by how each of my passengers went through it like the Tasmanian Devil, I'm gonna assume whatever was in there was fun!) If this is your thing, here are a few tips: 1) Entry is at Holly and Huntington NOT at the main entrance. If you do end up at the main entrance, they'll reroute you. No worries. 2) You can come through as early as 30 minutes before your scheduled time, but try to be there within that window just for the sake of being considerate. The whole thing is about 45 minutes to an hour, all depending on how slow or fast you go. 3) CLEAN YOUR WINDSHIELDS! I meant to, but I completely forgot. But even with the semi-dirty glass, it was still pretty good. 4) Sunroofs are great! I didn't have one (wouldn't have mattered if I did since I was the one behind the wheel) but I was sorta jealous of the peeps who made full use of it. I imagine that's the best way to experience it. 5) You are allowed to open your windows. Just watch out for fog machines... 6) Take your time and let it all sink in. If you can afford it, I highly recommend it, something cool to do social distancing style. It's an event for all ages and a great excuse to get out of the house more especially during these challenging times.

    Photos
    Last ticket is for January 24, 2021!
    Last ticket is for January 24, 2021!
    Super dope!
    Super dope!
    We had to upgrade our tickets to get the full experience!

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    We had to upgrade our tickets to get the full experience!
    Unique Markets

    Unique Markets

    4.5
    (225 reviews)
    2.0 mi

    I walked into my third Unique Markets telling myself I would be restrained this time. I should have…read moreknown that wouldn't happen because I'm only half way through and I have 5 bags on my arm. I absolutely adore Unique Markets and make a point to come very time they're in town. For just $15 you can have access to incredible vendors, music, food, art and overall a wonderful group of people. Everyone is so kind and cool and makes you feel at home. Each year the founder and her team (yes HER) work to curate a wide variety of vendors with something for everyone. If you're shopping for a fathers day present or something for yourself you'll find all that and more. I cannot recommend coming enough. They have shows in Portland, DC, Phoenix and LA. If you can, definitely splurge for the $45 VIP bag. Thanks unique markets!

    This twice yearly event takes over the top floor of a downtown arts district high rise and is a…read moreblast! Some sticker shock at the entry ($15), but includes a tote bag I keep in the trunk for Erewon runs for a single bottled water (also $15, so a good deal in comparison). About 100 booths of "shop small" businesses, largely handmade stuff including jewelry, soaps, clothing, cards and gifts, tarot, and food. The booths are run by the artists/sellers themselves which is a great way to connect with these super talented entrepreneurs. Hard to make the rounds without picking up a few items and supporting local artists at the same time, most of whom work out of their apartments. There are some foodie freebie samples and a freebie photo booth too. Meters all around downtown but as of this writing (5/23), self-parking in the building was a flat $8. I ended up with a giant chicken named Bella along with cards, stickers and iron-on patches. Yelpers, you will run into people you know, so the 'no sweatpants' rule applies. See you there.

    Photos
    Unique and proud
    Unique and proud
    Unique Markets
    Unique Markets

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    Golden Dragon Parade - festivals - Updated July 2026

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