Illuminating Downtown Sac’s Chinatown

Downtown Sac in Action | Kiara Badue — May 07, 2026

Lanterns, culture, and a chance to be part of something bigger. Big Day of Giving is here, and this year’s focus is helping bring new life to Sacramento’s Chinatown.

Today is the Big Day of Giving, a regional fundraising campaign organized by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. This year, our sister 501(c)(3) organization, the Downtown Sacramento Foundation (DSF), is proud to continue supporting the vision of Friends of Sacramento Chinatown Square to help reestablish Chinatown as a hub for community, wellness, and thriving local businesses.

Situated between some of downtown’s busiest districts, Chinatown holds a deep history that helped shape Sacramento into the city it is today. The Chinatown Square Illumination Project is part of a larger vision to make the neighborhood feel more welcoming and vibrant through thoughtful lighting and pedestrian friendly improvements inspired by the area’s cultural roots.

Picture glowing lanterns overhead, brighter public spaces, and gateway enhancements that make the neighborhood feel inviting both day and night. DSF is raising funds to launch phased enhancements to the space and help lay the foundation for what’s to come, and you have the opportunity to contribute to making this vision a reality.

Big Day of Giving is a reminder that small contributions can help shape the future of the places that matter to our communities. Every donation helps uplift a cultural legacy in Sacramento’s core that has long been under recognized while helping bring Chinatown’s next chapter to life.

Make donations here to help bring Chinatown’s next chapter to life.