Santa Clara Makes History: 30,000 Celebrate the City’s First Lunar New Year in Historic Downtown!
Historic Downtown Santa Clara has hosted many milestones — but this past weekend marked a truly historic first. For the very first time, our city celebrated a Lunar New Year Festival in the heart of Downtown Santa Clara — and what a debut it was for the Year of the Fire Horse! Over 30,000 attendees across two vibrant days gathered to celebrate culture, heritage, art, food, and community in an unforgettable experience produced by Ding Ding Studios and OMG Productions in collaboration with the City of Santa Clara. Congratulations to All!
The energy was electric. Folks from around the Bay Area came out. And history was made.
🏮 A Cultural Celebration of Unity & Pride
More than 150 food and artisan vendors lined the streets, offering everything from traditional delicacies to handcrafted treasures. Families explored the Cultural Village, children delighted in performances, and neighbors connected in ways that only a festival can inspire.
And of course…
No festival is complete without a Lion Dance Parade! And Santa Clara Parade of Champions got to participate! Fan Dancers, and rhythmic drums echoed through downtown as the lions danced, symbolizing prosperity, strength, and good fortune for the year ahead. It was powerful. It was joyful. It was a reminder that tradition and modern community life can beautifully intertwine.
Leadership & Community at the Heart
The celebration brought together elected leaders and community champions who reflect the diversity and dynamism of Santa Clara, including:
Aisha Wahab
Patrick Ahrens
Susan Ellenberg
Mayor Lisa Gillmor and City Council
Alongside them were representatives from international consulates, cultural organizations, artists, performers, and grassroots community leaders — each contributing to a celebration that felt both globally connected and deeply local.
A Parade & Festival Community Celebrates With our Asian Community
As the Santa Clara Parade of Champions, who doesn’t love a parade and festival — it’s in our DNA. Founded in 1945 to welcome home our WWII veterans and celebrate a resilient community and its youth — our heroes at home — we are proud to be the longest-running, diverse, multicultural legacy event in the City of Santa Clara. Being invited to participate in the Cultural Village at this inaugural Lunar New Year celebration was an honor. It reminded us why we do what we do:
✔️ Bringing people together
✔️ Celebrating cultural heritage
✔️ Honoring leadership and service
✔️ Creating spaces where families feel connected
For our nonprofit from 1945 and beyond, the spirit remains the same — inclusion and community first. Grateful to our Hard-working Board and Volunteers.
Why This Moment Matters
Santa Clara is the center of what’s possible and continues to evolve. New residents arrive from around the world. Technology shapes our economy. But what truly defines us is something deeper:
Civic pride. Shared celebration. Multicultural unity.
This first Lunar New Year Festival in Historic Downtown wasn’t just an event — it was a signal. A sign that Santa Clara continues to embrace its past while welcoming the future with open arms. And we are here for it.
Enjoy Highlights from our 2025 Community Kickoff Santa Clara Parade of Champions Festival.
Year round our Grass roots team and Nonprofit partners collaborate and support one another so you will see us in most events in the Community. Thank you, Steve Chan, Cecilia Madruga Santos, Margaret Horoszko, Mike Walke, Andy Ratermann, Jodi Muirhead, Chloe Tran, and Navya Polleni for all your hard work. If you love community celebrations as much as we do, save the date for this year’s 57th Santa Clara Parade of Champions Festival on October 3rd, 2026. Always the first Saturday in October. Until then we invite you to relive the magic of our 2025 Santa Clara Parade of Champions Community Kickoff Festival for our Biggest Year in Sports in Santa Clara history. 👉 Watch highlights here: https://youtu.be/1QNsqeg-TaU
Visit our website to learn how to get involved, more about our history, mission, and upcoming celebrations as we continue building momentum toward another unforgettable year. To Participate, Sponsor or Volunteer visit our website www.scparadeofchampions.org
Here’s to prosperity, resilience, culture, and community.
