What to Know
- LA Chinatown Firecracker was originally scheduled to take place as an in-person event on Feb. 19 and 20 (along with a virtual option)
- The events include the 5/10K Run/Walk, 14th Annual 20/40-Mile Bike Ride, Kiddie Run and PAW'er Dog Walk
- You can participate wherever you are, through Feb. 27, by downloading the RaceJoy app
Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop!
Counting every individual crack, fizz, and sparkle of the spectacular firecrackers that pop, pop, pop ahead of the LA Chinatown Firecracker 5/10K Run/Walk would take some time, and truly add up, due to the sizable scale of the festive show.
But the much-anticipated ceremony, one of the central elements of what's billed as "one of the largest and oldest running, walking and cycling events in the U.S.," will have to wait for another year.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
For the 44th LA Chinatown Firecracker, a multi-happening festivity held to honor the Lunar New Year, will become an at-home to-do in 2022, an event that you can join wherever you happen to be.
The team behind the Firecracker, a weekend-long festival that includes a 5/10K Run/Walk, 14th Annual 20/40-Mile Bike Ride, Kiddie Run and PAW'er Dog Walk, revealed that it will be fully virtual this year.
Organizers had hoped to hold a celebration that included both in-person elements and a virtual dimension, but the decision was made, about a month before the event, to make the popular event entirely virtual.
"During this time of uncertainty, the LACFRC remains committed to its mission of promoting fitness and healthy lifestyles and made this difficult decision for the safety of our thousands of supportive participants, spectators, volunteers, vendors and local community and our healthcare workers," shared the Firecracker team.
If you'd like to complete any or all of the runs and walks from your own neighborhood, you'll want to download the RaceJoy app, which tracks, gives progress alerts, and includes a "Send-A-Cheer" feature.
Participants can also log their progress on the LA Chinatown Firecracker site. And, another twist: You can participate through Feb. 27, which gives you an additional week beyond when the in-person event was scheduled to take place.
Hearing that thrilling pop, pop, pop may need to wait for 2023, but connecting with the community during this look-forward, keep-the-hope celebration is still very much a possibility.
