Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
20
month, P IER 39 honors these mam-
moth mammals with a special party and
guests from the M arine Mammal Cen-
ter. Call
&
415/705-5500
or visit www.
pier39.com.
F
EBRUARY
Chinese New Year Festival and Parade
is a memorable 2-week event culminat-
ing in the ex citing, loud, and lengthy
Chinese New Year's parade do wn Mar-
ket Street to Columbus A venue on the
final Saturday evening. Spectators pack
the side walks, so y ou'll want to find a
good spot early on. Chinato wn itself is
filled with color and bustles ev en more
than usual, with families buying food
for holiday dinners and special r ed
envelopes to fill with New Year's gifts of
money for the kids. Call the Chinese
Chamber of Commerce at
&
415/982-
3071
or visit www .chineseparade.com.
Note:
Depending on the Chinese lunar
calendar, this event sometimes occurs in
early March.
Coinciding with Valentine's D ay in
mid-February, P IER 39 hosts
Tulip-
mania,
featuring mor e than 39,000
tulips throughout the pier. The amazing
diversity in siz e, shape, and color is
something to behold. Visitors are w el-
come to join complimentar y landscap-
ing tours each day at 10am. Call
&
415/
705-5500
or visit www.pier39.com.
M
ARCH
The
St. Patrick's Day Parade
that runs
along Market Street to the Civic Center
is always lively. There's a large expatriate
Irish community in town, and Ireland's
patron saint traditionally gets his due
here. Call
&
415/675-9885
or visit
www.uissf.org.
A
PRIL
On Easter S unday, the festiv e
Union
Street Easter P arade & S pring Cele-
bration,
between Gough and F illmore
streets, includes pony rides, a petting
zoo, kids' rides and games, a climbing
wall, a kids ' activities ar ea, costumed
characters, and a parade. Phone
&
800/
310-6563
or visit www.sresproductions.
com/union_street_easter.html.
Japantown has held an annual
Cherry
Blossom Festival
since 1967. The festi-
val takes place o ver 2 w eekends and
offers many events for families, includ-
ing demonstrations of traditional dance,
taiko
dr umming, tea cer emonies, and
flower arrangement.
There's also a
parade, copious food, and, of course,
beautiful trees in bloom. Call
&
415/
563-2313
or visit www.nccbf.org.
M
AY
Cinco de Mayo
(5th of May) is a major
Mexican festiv al celebrating the B attle
of P uebla against F rench occupation
forces in 1862. A parade down Mission
Street is follo wed by a festiv al at Civic
Center P laza with music, ar ts, crafts,
low-rider cars, and delicious food that
most kids will lo ve. The parade is fr ee;
the festival has a small admission charge
of ar ound $5 for adults (fr ee for kids
under 12). Visit www .sfcincodemayo.
com. This fiesta is more family-oriented
than
Carnaval
(www.carnaval.com)
later in the month, which is wilder and
very crowded.
The
Youth Arts Festival
is a w eeklong
exhibition of the visual, per forming,
and literar y ar ts by middle school and
high school students thr oughout the
city. The opening day of the festiv al,
which takes place at Yerba Buena Cen-
ter, is the most ex citing, with activities
and an awards presentation. Admission
is free. Call
&
415/543-1718
or visit
www.ybgf.org.
Bay to Breakers
started after the 1906
earthquake as a way to boost the city 's
spirits and r emains today the longest
consecutively run footrace in the world.
Although the ev ent, held on the thir d
Sunday in May, attracts top-level inter-
national athletes, what will interest your
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