Boston Chinatown Lion Dance Parade Celebrates Year of the Tiger Amid Pandemic Recovery

BOSTON — July 19, 2026 — Boston's Chinatown marked the 2022 Lunar New Year with a Lion Dance Parade at Phillips Square, organized by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England. Mayor Michelle Wu, introduced as Boston's first Chinese mayor, urged attendees to "go have lunch" and support local businesses still recovering from the pandemic. City Council President Ed Flynn directly addressed anti-Asian racism, calling it an ongoing challenge that demands continued advocacy for immigrant communities. Nine lion troops paraded storefront to storefront through Chinatown into the late afternoon. Mayor Wu also introduced Chu-Lan Huang as the city's new Chinatown liaison, and Brianna Malor was presented as the new Chief of Community Engagement in the mayor's cabinet. Institutional sponsors, including Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University, South Cove Community Health Center, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston, were recognized and given the floor, with Tufts University announcing a concurrent noon-to-2 p.m. COVID test kit distribution at the Chinatown gateway in partnership with the Greenway Conservancy.