The Guide to
San Francisco's Carnaval Celebration

The Mission District will sizzle with the sights and sounds of samba, salsa and more for the festival and grand parade on Memorial Day weekend.

Highlights

The Carnaval San Francisco Festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend. The festivities center on Harrison Street in the Mission District between 16th and 24th Streets.

This year's theme is "Honor Indigenous Roots." Headliners at this year's festival include Noel Torres and Pirulo y la Tribu.

The Grand Parade on Sunday begins at 9:30 a.m., on the corner of 24th and Bryant Streets. Spectators return year after year to see the floats depicting multicultural themes. Brazilian-style escola samba schools with as many as 300 performers dance through the streets in lavish, feathered headdresses and swirling Bahia skirts. At the same time, Caribbean contingents perform the music and dance of the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad. Other groups in the parade include Mexican Aztec performers, traditional African drummers, Polynesian dancers, Japanese drummers, giant puppets, and folkloric groups representing Guatemala, Honduras, and Bolivia.

Parade Route

Their Grand Parade, on Sunday, May 26th, boasts a 60-contingent (comparsa) 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 to participate. The Grand Parade covers 20 blocks in San Francisco’s historic Latino Cultural District in the Mission.

The parade will start at the corner of 24th and Bryant Streets and proceed west to Mission Street. From there, it heads north on Mission down to 15th Street and turns east to South Van Ness Avenue. Bleacher seats are available for the Grand Parade.

Purchase tickets

Festival

The two-day festival on Memorial Day Weekend is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will unfold along Harrison Street between 16th and 24th streets. The festival will feature various food, music, dance, arts, crafts and entertainment on several stages and appeal to all ages. Please note that no pets are allowed in the festival area.

Getting to the Mission District

Getting to Carnaval in San Francisco's vibrant Mission District is easy with public transit!

To get to the Carnaval festivities in the Mission, you can take the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and get off at either the 16th Street or 24th Street station. From there, it's just a short walk to the heart of the event. Alternatively, you can take any Muni line to Church Street and walk to the Mission from there.

Driving and parking are highly discouraged during the event due to street closures and high attendance.