Live Shots: In Chinatown, Year of the Fire Horse comes in with a bang

An explosive assortment of massive fireworks lit up the skies last night as dense crowds gathered in the oldest Chinatown in the country. The jaw-dropping spectacle goes down annually on Lunar New Year’s Eve and we’ve covered it off and on for more than 10 years.

In the past, we’ve left as late as 2:30am—it felt like there was never an end in sight for the non-stop pyrotechnics, which rivaled complex shows launched from actual barges on the Fourth of July. After our first rodeo there at the epicenter of it all, straight-up in the middle of the intersection of Jackson and Grant, we learned quickly to come prepared in maximum-strength safety headphones, goggles, and Kevlar gloves. Once again, and for just over an hour last night, intense flashes and chest-rattling booms erupted in all directions.

It’s all unsanctioned: In years past, we heard from neighborhood locals that SFPD looks the other way in honor of the cultural significance of the holiday. This year, however, as the rogue DIY show intensified, SFPD pulled up, stopping in the intersection with two stern warnings to disperse from the area. We surmise it’s the lingering effect of a Waymo set ablaze at the same time a couple years back, totally unrelated to the much more orderly fireworks crews.

Sanctioned or not, the spectacle is bracing: Lanterns and fireworks are common Lunar New Year symbols, representing hope, renewal and protection for the year ahead. Our photographs in the form of a cohesive visual story aim to capture the cultural significance of the holiday, the diverse joyous crowds of all ages, and of course, the mind-blowing razzle-dazzle of bright colors bursting high in the Frisco skies.