Chinese Lunar New Year parade kicks off in Chicago

CHICAGO, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- A parade celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year was held on Sunday in Chinatown on the South Side of Chicago, the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the city.

Thousands of people lined the streets of Chinatown for the event. Chinese Consul General in Chicago Zhao Jian, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and some local officials and community leaders took part in the parade.

Traditional dragon and lion dancing teams, 15 colorful floats, 10 marching bands, and 20 marching groups from local Chinese communities and other neighborhood communities in Chicago joined the parade, which starts from Wentworth Avenue and heads north from 24th Street to Cermak Road.

The Chinese Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, is China's most important and ceremonious traditional festival.

For safety reasons, Chicago police deployed extra officers at the parade after 11 people were killed in a mass shooting in Los Angeles County's Monterey Park amid a weekend of Chinese New Year's celebrations.