Carnaval San Francisco is gearing up for a festive return on Memorial Day weekend! The highly anticipated free event is back for another fantastic year after 45 years of success. The free festival features five stages, 50 local performing artists, and 400+ vendors. The festival is this Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 25, and Sunday, May 26. Carnaval SF is the largest multi-cultural celebration on the West Coast, boasting amazing food, art, performances, and more.
The event will cover 17 blocks between 16th and 24th streets, with Harrison Street in the center. Starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday and running until 6 p.m., festival goers can expect an explosion of color, amazing food, live performances, and numerous local vendors. The entrances for the festival will open at 9 a.m. each day.
Headliners this year are Noel Torres, Pirulo Y La Tribu, and Franco on Saturday and Banda Blanca on Sunday. This year’s theme is Honor Indigenous Roots; stating on the Carnaval SF website: “We honor their histories by educating ourselves about their heritage, acknowledging the impact of colonialism, and supporting indigenous-led initiatives both locally and internationally. As allies, we listen without reinterpreting what we hear from indigenous people. We must listen with the intention of learning, and not wanting to be the solution to their struggles. Only then can we amplify their voices and advocate for their rights.”
The Grand Parade will take place on Sunday, May 26. The lively parade includes a 60-component lineup with over 3,000 artists representing the cultural heritages of Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Cuba, Peru, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Trinidad & Tobago, Guatemala, El Salvador, and more. The parade starts at 24th and Bryant St and you can buy tickets for the grandstand seating in advance.
“Artists in our beloved Mission District gave birth to Carnaval in 1978 with the belief that their passion for Latin, Caribbean and Afro-Diasporic music would unite people across ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientation, gender identification or religious beliefs,” said Rodrigo Duran, Executive Director of Carnaval San Francisco. “From the beginning, the sounds of salsa, samba, soca, mariachi, merengue,
cumbia, and reggae music paved the way for Carnaval to thrive. Now modern sounds such as funk, bachata, dancehall, hip-hop, Afro-beats and reggaeton have joined the mix, resonating with the younger generation of revelers.”
For more information, visit the Carnaval SF website, and make sure to check out the amazing event this weekend.
By Jamie Ferrell and Dana Flynn