Though lion dancers led the parade, Saturday’s Lunar New Year celebration in Uptown was all about the Year of the Horse.
In honor of the holiday, which began earlier this week, thousands gathered along Argyle Street for the neighborhood’s 40-plus-year tradition. More than 20 parade entries representing local community groups, Asian cultural institutions, schools and performance troupes marched down the corridor in a vibrant display of music, movement and heritage.
While Lunar New Year is rooted in the Chinese lunar calendar, the Argyle parade reflects Uptown’s broader Asian community. Uptown United, a community economic development nonprofit, has organized the parade for the past decade.
“Argyle is such a unique corridor in Chicago,” said Director of Partnerships and Events Greg Carroll. “With its historical Asian businesses, spanning from Chinese to Thai to Vietnamese, Cambodian, Korean, even.”
The parade is not only a cultural celebration but also an economic boost during one of Chicago’s slowest seasons. Throughout the day, nearly every Asian-owned business along Argyle buzzed with customers. Lines stretched out the doors at neighborhood staples like Chiu Quon Bakery.
“Hosting a parade in February really brings people out and the amount of support these businesses get, not only on the day of, but leading up to it, is huge,” Carroll said.
Festivities before the parade began at the Bezazian Library, where children decorated paper horse heads and listened to Lunar New Year-themed stories. Uni Uni Boba and HAIBAYÔ Café collaborated on a pop-up market featuring local AAPI vendors selling Asian-inspired pastries, artwork and jewelry.
The Vietnamese Association of Illinois marked its 50th anniversary with an open house and presented an exhibit in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company and Heritage Museum of Asian Art, highlighting past Years of the Horse.
At Furama, Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed a crowd gathered for dim sum before receiving a ceremonial gift from the South-East Asian Center.
“We will use the force of government to build bridges and coalitions across the community to upgrade the constitutional rights, the civil rights and human rights for all of Chicago,” Johnson said. “Let’s have a prosperous and powerful new year and God bless the greatest city in the world.”
At 1 p.m., the parade took off, with Argyle Street lined shoulder-to-shoulder with families bundled in winter coats, many dressed in red or traditional attire. Drumming echoed between storefronts as confetti poppers snapped and ornate floats rolled past.
Lion dancers with the Midwest Chinese American Senior Association led the procession. Justine Diric, 20, performed as the back half of one of the lions for the third consecutive year, wearing bright yellow ruffled pants to form the lion’s legs and earplugs in anticipation of firecrackers.
“It’s tiring, like physically demanding,” Diric said.
But the strain fades when he sees the crowd’s reaction. “It’s actually really fun,” Diric said. “I see the little kids looking in awe and surprised at what we do.”
The group representing Uptown United and the Uptown Chamber of Commerce followed close behind, with Johnson wearing a red sash and carrying a stuffed horse.
Throughout the procession, tributes to the Year of the Horse appeared in many forms, including school mascots, papier-mâché horse heads and inflatable decorations. Soul Harbor Ranch brought two miniature therapy horses draped in red fabric with gold embellishments, drawing cheers from people of all ages along the route.
Some of the most eye-catching entries included the Chicago Transit Authority, which rolled through with a mini train. Each car represented a different era of rail travel, starting with the earliest train designs and ending with modern models.
The Hoang Phuc Lion Dance Association brought a vibrant blue float accompanied by lion dancers and a seven-person dragon team, each performer holding a pole to animate the dragon’s winding movements down the street.
Young performers from CircEsteem and CirquesExperience rode bicycles, balanced on stilts and spun across the pavement on acrobatic wheels.
Taylor Do, 28, traveled from Milwaukee with friends to attend the parade. Originally from southern California, she said it was important to celebrate her Vietnamese heritage during the Lunar New Year, even if she is away from home.
“When I moved to the Midwest, staying in touch with my culture was really big for me,” Do said. “We’re just excited to be here, support local bakeries and restaurants.”
After the parade concluded, local groups, including CMAA Youth Lion & Lotus Dancers, Kaotic Drumline and U.S. Hobby Horse Championships, performed at the intersection of Argyle Street and Winthrop Avenue.
“We just want to give people an opportunity to celebrate their culture or to experience a new culture,” Carroll said. “I love that, you know, one of the big things to this event is it just creates a really wonderful memory for people.”
