Chinese Spring Festival: Rain fails to dampen celebration at New York Lunar New Year parade

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In New York, party-goers braved the rain for the city's Lunar New Year parade to welcome the Year of the Dog. Musicians and dancers in traditional garb snaked their way through the crowded streets of Manhattan's Chinatown. CGTN's Nick Harper takes us to the grand street party.

Some four-legged friends, and some two-legged helpers, to welcome in the Year of the Dog. New York City's Lunar New Year parade is one of the biggest in United States. It's a spectacle for tourists and locals alike, bringing together communities and fostering the sense of multiculturalism the New York is famous for.

"I think it's a very important day for the New York community, we know that because many Chinese people live in New York."

"We always see this on the TV or on the internet, and being here and actually seeing it is a great thing."

"We've mistimes it every year, so this is the first year we've managed to get down here - we've often seen the ticker tape on the pavements."

Traditional lion dancers mixed with the crowds. While singers performed. All waved goodbye to the old year and welcomed in the new year.

CHRISTOPHER TIN BETTER CHINATOWN "This is awesome, we usually have around half a million people come out from the tri-state area, tourists coming from all over the world, so it's super exciting to bring Chinese New Year festivities to New York."

And this being New York City, there was more than just Chinese culture on display.

NICK HARPER NEW YORK "The festivities are a time to come together and celebrate. And for New York's Chinese community - one of the largest in America - it's a chance to show the city what the Lunar New Year is all about."

Earlier in the day, lion dancers went door-to-door through Chinatown. A visit is considered an auspicious start to the new year, bringing success for the months ahead.

HAROLD MOY PS 130 LION DANCE TEAM "It could be anything from schools, to restaurants to shopkeepers, grocers, so we bring them good luck and have them prosperity in their businesses."

Dragons, lions and dogs. All of them helping to warm the winter crowds and dance away the rain. Nick Harper, CGTN, New York.