Chinese New Year 2014: 5 of the Biggest Celebrations in the U.S.

Help ring in the Year of the Horse at one of the nation's celebrations of the Chinese New Year. For the next few weeks, festivals and parades will light up U.S. streets with red and gold. Here are 5 of the country's largest upcoming festivals:

1. San Francisco
Through Feb. 15, 2014

San Francisco's Chinatown boasts the largest Chinese New Year celebration of its kind in North America, according to its website. The two-week event includes a parade of over 100 elaborate floats, the Chinatown Community Street Fair, and the Chinese New Year Flower Fair. A team of over 100 will carry the elaborate Golden Dragon during the grand finale.

2. New York City
Jan. 31-Feb. 2 2014

Home to the country's largest Chinese American population, New York City's 15th Chinatown New Year Parade & Festival is no minor affair. On Friday, visitors at Sara Roosevelt Park can partake in the New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival. Then on Sunday, starting at 1 p.m. in Little Italy, a colorful procession will travel through lower Chinatown.

3. Los Angeles
Feb. 1-2 2014

Enjoy an array of musical and martial-arts performances in the entertainment capital of the U.S. at LA's 115th Golden Dragon Parade and Chinese New Year Festival. On Saturday, an afternoon parade kicks off the weekend, after which partygoers can enjoy food trucks and a beer garden, in addition to street vendors and performers, in Central and West Plaza.

4. Chicago
Jan. 31- Feb. 2, 2014

This year's Chinese Lunar New Year Parade in the Windy City kicks off five months of cultural Chinese exhibits -- University of Chicago's Envisioning China Festival of Arts and Culture. Music, art, conversations and performances are promised to exhibit visitors in the coming months. Enjoy this weekend's procession to kick off the festival Saturday in Uptown or Sunday in Chinatown.

5. Houston, TX
Feb. 8-9, 2014

The free Lunar New Year celebration at Houston's Beltway Plaza promises fireworks, lions, and dragons. Attendees can participate in a traditional costume contest, and children under 5 will receive lucky red envelopes.