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Ornate, wildly colored dragons gyrate through the streets of Chinatown for the annual lunar New Year Parade—the largest of its kind on the East Coast. More than 5,000 revelers, including magicians, acrobats, traditionally garbed beauty queens, and the famed dragon puppets manned by martial artists dance their way from Mott Street down Grand, Canal, and then East Broadway, spilling over into virtually every side street of New York City's storied Chinatown district. Flower-adorned floats glide by to the festive notes of Chinese gongs, lutes, mandolins, and marching bands. The route is punctuated with the area's restaurants serving holiday dishes with names that mean “good luck” and “fortune”. The colorful procession ends at Worth St.—where a post-parade cultural festival on Bayard St. kicks up with more musicians, dancers, magicians, and food. — Josie Swindler

Organizers say the best viewing is on Allen St. between Canal and Grand.