New Year celebrations that last for days

Winter can be so stressful, what with choosing your next favorite Caribbean island to hunting down the perfect swimsuit to go with it. Relax, tigerlily. Book yourself a trip San Fran to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year is a 5000 year old tradition that stretches a ridiculous 2 weeks. The actual day has already passed (February 7) but you haven't missed much in San Fran - the real fun starts next week.

On February 23, start your day off at the Community Street Fair where you can watch calligraphy, lantern and kite-making demonstrations. Stroll artisan booths as street acrobats and magicians try to steal your attention. The fair lasts all weekend attracts as many 500,000 visitors.

After a day of walking the streets, find a spot to catch the Chinese New Year Parade, named one of the world's top 10 parades. It's actually the largest celebration of its kind outside of Asia with more than 100 floats and a 201 ft Golden Dragon. The Dragon, pulled by more than 100 people, wraps up the parade with more than 600,000 firecrackers.

If you're not planning to pack your own lawn chair, you can buy bleacher seats all along the parade route. But if you want to see the performers actually perform, make sure you get a spot in Union Square. Another favorite viewing area is Portsmouth Square - The Garden Restaurant across the street is open during the parade.

Need more encouragement? There's a Chinese New Year Cruise on February 23 in the afternoon and a treasure hunt just before the parade gets underway.

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