Mustang Marching Band to perform in Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco
The Mustang Marching Band, seen here in 2020 will perform along the 1.3-mile route of the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco on Saturday, Feb. 19. Photos by John Osumi, courtesy of Cal Poly.
Event will be live-streamed on parade’s Facebook page
– The Cal Poly Mustang Marching Band has been invited for the seventh time to participate in the Alaska Airlines Chinese New Year Parade on Saturday, Feb. 19, in San Francisco.
The Mustang Marching Band first performed along the 1.3-mile of the Chinese New Year Parade in 2014 and was among the 15 marching bands that participated. It has been awarded first place in the adult marching bands category at each appearance. The band’s more than 220 members, from academic disciplines across the Cal Poly campus, perform for nearly 50 occasions on campus each year, including athletic events and university functions such as December’s in-person recognition ceremony at Alex G. Spanos Stadium honoring the graduates of the Class of 2020.
Prior to the 6 p.m. start of the parade, the Mustang Band will continue the tradition of performing some of its favorite pep and postgame tunes with the UC Davis Marching Band in front of the landmark Ferry Building on the San Francisco Embarcadero.
The Cal Poly Marching Band’s more than 220 members, from academic disciplines across the Cal Poly campus, posed for a group photo before the start of the 2020 Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco.
The parade began in the 1860s as a means for the Chinese community in San Francisco to educate and share their culture with the greater community. The parade and festival have grown to be the largest celebration of Asian culture outside of Asia. Today, it has emerged as one of the top 10 parades in the world by the International Festivals and Events Association.
The Chinese New Year Parade will celebrate the “Year of the Tiger” with floats, dragon dancers, and other festive entries. The event will be streamed live from the parade’s Facebook page. It will also be broadcast on San Francisco Bay Area TV stations: KTSF Channel 26 from 6-8 p.m. and 8-10 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 20; and on KTVU Fox 2 from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, and 9-11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27.
