Carnaval San Francisco

Carnaval San Francisco is the largest and longest-running multicultural celebration in California, with over 400,000 people in attendance every year. 

The free, two–day Festival covers 17 blocks on Harrison Street between 16th & 24th Streets, with five main stages, 60 local performing artists, and 300 vendors. The festival includes international food, dancing, sampling sites and entertainment for families, couples and friends of all ethnic, social and economic backgrounds. In the 45 years of existence, the celebration has welcomed luminaries like Celia Cruz, SANTANA, the Neville Brothers, Tito Puentes, Oscar de Leon, INDIA, and Los Tigres del Norte. 

The Carnaval San Francisco theme for 2024 is “Honor Indigenous Roots.” The idea of honoring indigenous heritage has always been part of Carnaval culture. For example, every Carnaval parade is started with a blessing ceremony from local Aztec dancers, complete with the burning of copal incense to spiritually cleanse the community, accompanied by traditional drumming and dance. This ceremony is rooted in pre-Columbian practices that still have relevance today. 

The Grand Parade is a brilliant 20-block procession of 60+ contingents, most of which feature beautifully adorned floats depicting rich multicultural themes. Brazilian-style escola samba schools with up to 300 members dance through the streets in fantastic feathered headdresses or sweeping Bahia skirts, while Caribbean contingents perform the music and dance of the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad. Other parade groups include MexicanAztec performers, traditional African drummers, Native American dancers, giant puppets and folkloric groups representing Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Bolivia. Over 2,000 dancers participate in the parade every year.

The Grand Parade will start at the corner of 24th and Bryant streets, proceed west to Mission Street, head north on Mission to 15th Street, turn east on 15th and conclude at South Van Ness.