San Francisco will go all-out again this year to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day, a national holiday honoring California’s own civil rights and labor movement activist, Cesar Chavez. SF will host a breakfast on the official holiday on March 31st, but SF’s Mission District parade and festival will happen on Saturday, April 12th, 2025. Join a lively celebration featuring great vendors and performances in the heart of San Francisco.
The 32nd annual celebration will honor both Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association together with Gilbert Padilla. Read on for all the details you need to know for Cesar Chavez Day 2025 in San Francisco…
Everything kicks off with the official Cesar Chavez Day on Monday, March 31st, which is Chavez’s birthday. SF’s Cesar Chavez Day organization will host a breakfast from 9-11am at the Longshoremen’s Hall in Fisherman’s Wharf, where state senator Jesse Arreguin will be the keynote speaker.
The Cesar Chavez Day Parade and Festival will take over the Mission District on Saturday, April 12th, 2025. You can catch the parade starting at 11am at Dolores Park, traveling south on Mission Street and east on 24th Street to end on Folsom. The procession will include plenty of labor unions, religious groups, schools, community organizations, Aztec dancers, performances, music, and lowrider cars.
During and after the parade, make sure you the fun at the Cesar Chavez Day festival from 11am-6pm on 24th St between Folsom and Bryant. It will include plenty of food and drink vendors as well as live performances, arts and crafts, games for children, and much more.
Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American labor leader and civil rights activist who dedicated his life to la causa (the cause) – that is, improving living and working conditions for US farm workers. He was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to act through nonviolent resistance, achieving pay raises and improved conditions during the 1960s and 1970s. He also founded the National Farm Workers Association (now the United Farm Workers) alongside fellow activists Dolores Huerta and Gilbert Padilla. Chavez was a prolific figure in the Chicano Movement of the 1960s, and his legacy is a critical part of Chicano identity across the country, especially in California.
2025 Cesar Chavez Day Parade and Festival
📍 Location: Mission District, San Francisco, CA. The parade begins at Dolores Park, and the festival takes place on 24th Street between Folsom and Bryant.
🗓️ Date: April 12, 2025. The parade begins at 11am and the festival lasts from 11am-6pm.
🌐 Website: Learn more at CesarChavezDay.org