18th Avenue celebrates Lunar New Year with inaugural parade

Despite the snow, in the first parade of its sort on 18th Avenue, the Asian Community United Society turned out locals for Bensonhurst’s inaugural Lunar New Year Parade.

Marching from 1 to 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 1, the parade began on 65th Street and commenced at The Salvation Army on 73rd Street. Performances and a Lunar New Year Festival followed the parade inside of the Salvation Army and featured a Lion Dance, a Dragon Dance, other live performances, and free gifts.

Quickly becoming known as Brooklyn’s “Second Chinatown” right behind Sunset Park, Bensonhurst’s Chinese population has grown by over 17,000 over the past decade, according to the New York City Department of City Planning’s Population Division. Those of Asian descent now make up over one third of the population in Bensonhurst.

 

 

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