Join LA Chinatown's Famous Firecracker Run From Home

Are there more pop-pop-pops in a dazzling display of Lunar New Year fireworks or more shared happy memories of the LA Chinatown Firecracker Run, the long-running, run-strong celebration that, yes, famously features fireworks?

That's a difficult question to answer, because, after 43 years, you can bet that a lot of locals hold a bounty of great recollections built around the popular wintertime happening.

The Firecracker is traditionally a weekend-long festivity, one that is full of energy, fun, and community togetherness, and it is an important centerpiece of the Lunar New Year, one that's enjoyed by the residents, business owners, and supporters of the historic neighborhood.

That joyful welcome is still happening in 2021, but participants of the Firecracker Run will be hitting trails, sidewalks, pathways, and treadmills closer to home.

For the event has gone fully virtual this time around, with the continued good-hearted goal of raising money.

In years gone by, those funds have helped a number of "... non-profit organizations that provide programs and services to the community, including Chinatown Service Center, Alpine Park and Recreation Center, Friends of the Chinatown Library, and schools throughout Los Angeles County including all in the immediate Chinatown and surrounding areas — e.g., Ann Street Elementary, Solano Avenue Elementary, Castelar Street, and Logan Street."

And by running or walking in the Firecracker? You'll be helping a bevy of give-back groups that are based in or near LA Chinatown.

And while the pop-pop-pop of the opening fireworks won't be pop-pop-popping in 2021, you can choose from a number of events to join, as in years past.

Those include the 5k and 10k runs, the 20 and 40 mile Bike Rides, a Kiddie Scavenger Hunt, and the ever-adorable Dog Walk.

Again, you'll be completing whatever you sign up for in your own neighborhood, with the cheerful hope of returning to LA Chinatown in February 2022.

Here's something that has so much hope to it, too: "Since March 2020, LACFRC spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of volunteers hours to purchase food and PPE and deliver them to frontline healthcare workers and vulnerable Los Angeles residents."

Tie up your sneakers, slip into your comfiest tee, and help a wonderful event help a wonderful community in so many ways.

Everything wraps up, pop-pop-pop, on Feb. 28, so be sure to wrap up your 5K or Dog Walk or whatever category you choose to complete by the end of the month.