Midnight Madness ensured on Tuesday as Chinatown locals celebrated the dawn of the Lunar New Year with lion dances and firecrackers.
Feb. 17 marked the year of the horse, and Chinatown residents rang in the start of a new era with smiles and explosions. Performers dressed as lion dancers emerged from the Athletic Club at 211 Canal Street before marching through the streets to the Chinese Freemasons Association at 22 Mott Street.
Here, onlookers gathered to witness the lions gallivant over a long stream of firecrackers that sent sparks flying and smoking plumbing into the air just after midnight.
The event has become a beloved community tradition in the neighborhood.
