Carnaval San Francisco is when the city’s Mission District fills up with the colors and sounds of hundreds of artists — and tens of thousands of families celebrating the region’s Latin American and Caribbean culture. And this year, Carnaval will take place on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26.

Consisting of a two-day day festival, musical performances all over the neighborhood, and the Grand Parade on Sunday that features over 60 different contingents, Carnaval is one of San Francisco’s most emblematic celebrations. And on top of that, it’s all completely free to attend and enjoy.

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If you’ve never been to Carnaval San Francisco before, picture Mission Street not with its usual traffic of Muni buses and commuters — but instead brimming with beautifully decorated floats accompanied by thousands of dancers and live musicians.

And that’s just a glimpse of what’s happening on Sunday. As someone who’s been to Carnaval every year since the age of 10, I can tell you that you never run out of things to do during this special weekend. And with all that fun in mind, keep reading for all the information you need to make the most of Carnaval.

What’s so special about Carnaval San Francisco 2024?

First held at Precita Park in 1979, Carnaval was organized by artists and organizers who wanted to pay homage to the historic Carnaval celebrations that take place all over Latin America and the Caribbean — and, at the same time, provide a platform for local musicians and dancers to come together and pass on traditions. This community celebration has now grown to include twenty blocks of the Mission District, making it one of the biggest celebrations of its kind on the West Coast.

And what makes this city’s Carnaval distinct from other Carnaval celebrations you may see in Rio de Janeiro or Barranquilla is that it reflects not just one national culture but also celebrates the incredible diversity of California’s Latin American and Caribbean diasporas.

“That’s what we do at Carnaval — we bring different worlds together under one roof,” Carnaval Executive Director Rodrigo Durán said. For pretty much his whole life, Durán has been involved in Carnaval one way or another (even as a toddler, he was already one of the dancers in the Grand Parade). But this year, he said, there’s something special.

“There’s a movement among Carnaval members and the community to put our Indigenous heritage in the forefront, to highlight and celebrate it,” he said. That’s why organizers chose ‘Honor Indigenous Roots’ as this year’s theme.

Rigoberta Menchú, a 1992 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, will lead Sunday’s Grand Parade. She has dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of Indigenous people in her home country of Guatemala and the rest of Latin America.

When and where is Carnaval San Francisco?

Carnaval has two main components: the festival and the Grand Parade.

The festival happens on Saturday and Sunday, with gates opening at 9 a.m. and performances starting at 11 a.m. on both days. (Jump to information about the Grand Parade.)

The festival will take place on Harrison Street, from 16th to 24th street. Hundreds of artisans and food vendors fill up this space, with DJs jamming out at block parties on 18th, 19th, 20th and 22nd streets.

Five stages will be set up throughout the festival, featuring performances from headliners Noel Torres, Pirulo y la Tribu, Franco and Banda Blanca, along with dozens of local musicians and dance groups.

When does the Carnaval Grand Parade start, and what’s the route?

The Grand Parade, which features dozens of floats and hundreds of dancers moving through the entire neighborhood, takes place on Sunday and starts at 9:30 a.m.

As for the Carnaval parade route, the parade starts at Bryant and 24th, then moves through 24th Street, takes a right on Mission Street, stays on that street all the way to 15th Street, and wraps up at Harrison and 15th Street.

And yes — the dancers and musicians in the parade perform nonstop the whole way, which is a particularly impressive feat when you consider that some of the most elaborate outfits can weigh up to 40 pounds.

On top of that, there’s a contest element – as contingents, or comparsas, compete against each other in multiple categories. Judges will rank each comparsa on originality, choreography and production design.

A map of the Carnaval San Francisco Grand Parade route on Sunday, May 26.

A few things to look for at the Carnaval San Francisco Grand Parade

Several award-winning comparsas are back again this year:

• Fogo Na Roupa, a Brazilian dance and percussion ensemble that practices in San Francisco but whose members hail from all over the Bay Area;
• Karibbean Vibrationz, a group that travels all over California celebrating Afro-Caribbean culture;
• Flavaz of D’ Caribbean, known for having some of the most colorful costumes, accompanied by a hot pink bus, and loudly repping the music of Trinidad and Tobago.

This year’s Carnaval King and Queen are Yeison Andrés Jiménez and Mónica Mendoza, two Bay Area dancers who have participated in multiple international contests and won their crowns earlier this year in a competition held at KQED’s headquarters.

Several contingents are making their Carnaval debut this year as well, including Negritud Yanga USA, a collective that celebrates the Afro-Mexican culture of the city of Yanga in the coastal state of Veracruz. In the early 17th century, formerly enslaved Africans founded Yanga — one of the first settlements of its kind in the Americas.

“The Carnaval parade is the gem, the heartbeat of our celebration,” Durán said. “Art is what pushes our culture forward, what gives us strength and happiness.”

See the full list of participating comparsas at Carnaval San Francisco.