SUNSET PARK — The Brooklyn Chinese-American Association plans to celebrate the “Year of the Dragon” at the opening ceremony of its Annual Chinese New Year Celebration Parade on Sunday, Jan. 29, at noon.  Community leaders as well as public and elected officials will join in and offer welcoming remarks and greetings, immediately followed by a spectacular firecrackers display, a traditional lion dance, a kung-fu demonstration, daycare and public school performances as well as other cultural activities.
 

The celebration will officially begin at 11 a.m. on the grand stand at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street, featuring performances and cultural activities. Then at 1 p.m., the Head Lion and VIP guests, followed by marching teams, will lead the parade along the Eighth Avenue commercial strip. 
 

At 2:30 p.m., the parade will be dismissed at 61st Street, and the Lions will proceed to dance in front of each store to bring good luck and fortune to the community.
 

Since 1988, the Annual Chinese New Year Celebration Parade has been bringing in the richness of the Chinese culture to the borough of Brooklyn as well as promoting unity among neighborhoods.  To honor the tradition, firecrackers will be used for the traditional ritual cleansing of homes and businesses to usher in a year of good luck. The Chinese-American Association anticipates that a minimum of 50,000 spectators will share this unique experience.