Most visitors to Paris do not know that the city has one of the largest Chinese New Year celebrations in Europe. The parade in the 13th arrondissement draws tens of thousands of people every year, and the 2026 edition was the most vibrant I have seen.

What surprised me most was how multicultural the parade actually is. Yes, there are the traditional Chinese lion dances, the dragon processions, the percussion groups. But walking alongside them you find troupes in Bolivian costumes, groups from Korea, African dance collectives, and performers from across the Parisian diaspora. The parade is a reflection of what the 13th arrondissement actually is, not just a Chinese neighborhood but a genuinely cosmopolitan corner of the city.

The dragon and lion dances are the visual highlight. The performers move with extraordinary coordination, controlling the long dragon bodies through narrow streets while the percussion builds to an almost deafening level. Confetti and rice fly through the air. The smoke from firecrackers hangs over the street.

One thing that consistently moved me was the presence of elderly women from the Asian community. Many of them were in their seventies and eighties, dancing and celebrating with a joy that was completely unself-conscious. These are the women who built these communities in Paris over decades, and watching them lead the parade was genuinely affecting.

The logistics are challenging. The route covers one to two kilometers through the heart of Chinatown, and the crowds are enormous. Security barriers are routinely overwhelmed. If you want to see the best moments, arrive early, find a position near a corner or an intersection, and stay there. Trying to move through the crowd once the parade has started is nearly impossible.

Go to the 13th arrondissement for Chinese New Year. Skip the Bastille parade, which is the more publicized event but significantly less interesting. The local parade in Chinatown is the real one.