The Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt

The Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt is San Francisco’s longest-running urban adventure event, a game of exploration and discovery through the streets and alleys of Chinatown, North Beach, Telegraph Hill and the Financial District amid the pageantry and celebration of the annual Chinese New Year parade. Teams compete to solve clues leading to obscure landmarks, forgotten architectural delights, secret views, and vestiges of San Francisco’s colorful past (and present). At each location, the team must find something that enables them to answer a question that is part of the clue: It could be wording on an historical plaque, a detail in a mural or public artwork, a unique architectural feature or a distinctive business sign; it’s often something you might never notice if you weren’t looking for it. Teams solving the most clues in the shortest time receive prizes and bragging rights. There are 4 different levels you can compete in, each offering an increasing level of difficulty. Familiarity with San Francisco is helpful but not required., Clues involve wordplay, puzzles, trivia, anagrams, map reading (each player receives a detailed map and an index of streets and landmarks), and other fun challenges. They’re designed to be too difficult for one person but solvable by a team using their collective skills and brainpower, so working together is key to succeeding. In addition to prizes for the winning teams in each of four divisions, prizes are awarded to the teams with the cleverest names, typically puns related to the year of the Chinese zodiac (2026 is the Year of the Horse) or current events or culture. There’s a separate category for Noir-Themed team names related to film noir or hard-boiled crime fiction (e.g., Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler).