SF Chinese New Year parade to shine for Year of the Fire Horse
Artists race to finish Year of the Horse floats for Chinese New Year Parade
KTVU gives you a preview of the 2026 Chinese New Year Parade's Year of the Fire Horse floats. The team of workers share the detailed artistry and this year's challenges in creating the beautiful statues that will be rolling through San Francisco on Saturday.
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade will roll through the city Saturday featuring marching bands, cultural performances and a stream of elaborate floats.
The 2026 celebration marks the Year of the Fire Horse. Inside a Pier 19 warehouse on Tuesday, artists were putting the finishing touches on a herd of glittering horse sculptures set to take center stage.
Year of the Fire Horse: Glitter and gravity-defying designs
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"I’m just the painter guy. I make things look beautiful. I do pretty blends and blend colors and make things look sparkly," artist Derrick Shavers said with a laugh.
It takes a stable of artists from The Parade Guys to create the floats, and the team is racing to meet a Friday deadline.
"Maybe hundreds of pounds of glitter that you’re going to see on parade this weekend," said Stephanie Mufson, owner of The Parade Guys. "We have 16 floats this year. We’re in the final crunch moments for a lot of them."
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Artists share challenges
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Mufson said the Year of the Horse theme has posed unique challenges, especially for lead sculptor Lacey Bryant, who creates the rearing horse statues.
"She expressed the difficulty of making all of these guys stand on their hind legs," Mufson said. "It’s kind of a feat of gravity and really playing with physics."
Shop manager Christian Barraza said the team focused on even the smallest details, including differences in horse breeds.
"I carved 12 pairs of legs for the inside of the horse, and each one of them had a different consistency because they’re different kinds of horses and each horse has different musculature," Barraza said. "It was a little insane."
That attention to detail, artists say, transforms the towering equine sculptures into sparkling symbols of good fortune and prosperity.
A lucky year for some
For Shavers, the Year of the Horse carries special meaning. Born in a previous Year of the Horse, he considers 2026 his lucky year.
"This is my year!" he said.
Mufson said the parade has rebounded to about 80% of its pre-pandemic scale.
While tariffs have increased the cost of materials this year, she said the team remains focused on delivering a memorable celebration.
"That’s our job — to make magic out of what we have to work with," Mufson said.
The artists hope to complete the floats by Friday night.
KTVU will ivestream the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade on March 7.
The Source: This story was written based on information obtained through interviews with artists and participants.