Squirrel Hill to Host Lunar New Year Parade!

For the first time in Squirrel Hill history, our amazingly diverse neighborhood has spent the last two weeks celebrating the Lunar New Year. This coming year, the Year of the Fire Monkey according to Chinese mythology, is off to a great start! This week has been full of great local events, parties, dinners, and family friendly activities across the city. To cap off this momentous holiday and historical celebration in Squirrel Hill, we’ll be going BIG!

Join us this Sunday, February 21st at 10am for the Year of the Fire Monkey Parade!

The parade will start at Douglas and Murray, heading north (up the hill) and will end at Darlington and Murray. Murray Avenue will be closed from 10am to 12pm. No cars can be parked on this street during this period. See our Public Notice about the Murray closure here.

The parade will be lead by Grand Marshall Dr. Freddie Fu of UPMC Sports Med Complex. It will feature a wide variety of entertainers, including Chinese and Thai dragons, dancers and live music, as well as traditional costumes and lots of lanterns!

Over 300 participants will be in the parade including Allderdice High School Marching Band; students from Pittsburgh Chinese School; members of Organization of Chinese Americans, Pittsburgh Chapter; Pittsbughr Academy of Chinese Culture and Language; NaGong Cheongsam Group; Yanlai Dance Academy; Pitt, Duquesne, and Chatham Chinese Science Scholars Association; Steel Dragon; Good Days Dancing Group; Tsu Chi Academy; Win-Win Martial Arts and Black Mountain Spirit Schools of Chinese Kung Fu; CMU Chinese Studies Program; Hampton Township School District Pittsburgh Chinese Restaurant Association; and more!

Want a taste of what you’ll see? Check out the photos on our Facebook page!

Expected Dignitaries marching in the parade include:

Police Commander of 4th District Daniel Herrmann

City Councilman Dan Gilman

City Councilman Corey O’Connor

Debra Lam, Chief of Technology and Innovation, City of Pittsburgh

Betty Cruz, Initiatives Manager for Mayor’s Office

State Senator Jay Costa

State Representative Dan Frankel

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald

Parade Grand Marshal Dr. Freddie Fu

Dr. Freddie Fu has been an instrumental part of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine for several decades. A Hong Kong native, Dr. Fu came to Pittsburgh in 1975 to attend University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and joined the Pitt faculty as an assistant professor in 1982. Currently, he is the David Silver Professor and chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is known worldwide for his pioneering surgical techniques to treat sports-related injuries. He also was instrumental in the establishment of the renowned UPMC Sports Performance Complex. Partly designed by Dr. Fu, the complex also houses the indoor and outdoor training facilities of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as treatment room especially built for the dancers of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

Dr. Fu has not only been one of Pittsburgh’s most influential practitioners of sports medicine, he is also incredibly supportive of the greater Pittsburgh community, volunteering his time and expertise to multiple groups and organizations across the city. He has been recognized as one of the most influential Pittsburghers of the 20th century by Pittsburgh Magazine and had been granted multiple honorary degrees by universities across the nation. Married to Hilda Pang Fu, they have 2 children and 4 grandchildren.

This event brought to you by the following organizations:

Uncover Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center, Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, Jewish Family & Children’s Service, Organization of Chinese Americans, Pittsburgh Chapter, NextGen:Pgh, Confucius Institute at University of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Asia Studies Center, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, and the Japan-America Society.