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.

Jump straight to:

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.

If you’re wondering where you should be eating in and around the San Francisco Bay Area, here are five of the most news worthy and buzzy restaurants to check out right now. From the city’s most trendy new nightlife spots atop the 21st floor of The Beacon Grand to the one of San Francisco’s most iconic seafood establishments launching a midday lunch special, to where to eat for a special night out in wine country, these are places that making waves in the San Francisco Bay Area’s dynamic food scene now.

Starlite Room

Formerly known as the historic Sir Francis Drake, Union Square’s The Beacon Grand, reopened its doors in in 2022 after a renovation which included a redesign of the iconic Starlite Room. Currently one of the most sought after, new nightlife spots downtown, Starlite’s glamorous Art Deco era-esk interiors are by San Francisco-based designer Alice Crumeyrolle.

When it comes to libations, The Gimlet, the Porn Star Martini, Strawberry Grasshopper and the Cable Car Redux are must haves according to Scott Baird of Trick Dog, the Mission District’s award-winning cocktail bar. He crafted a playful cocktail menu inspired by San Francisco’s iconic fog, cable cars, gold and more.

“The inspiration for the cocktail menu is classic style cocktails in a celebratory environment,” says Baird. “The idea is to have a simplified and delicious not precious experience for guests, also providing long form context with the menu so they have a visceral understanding of what is in their glass. San Francisco has always been known as a place for poets, artists and Bohemians with a wild streak and we’ve tried to embrace that with our menu.

In addition to the cocktail program, Michelin-award-winning chef and raw bar expert Johnny Spero, crafted a menu that celebrates San Francisco’s exceptional culinary artistry and international fare.

“The food menu at Starlite is inspired by my trips to the Bay Area and my ideal bar snacks,” says chef Spero. “Although I’ve been booze-free for 6 years, I’ve spent a lot of time in bars and don’t think there’s any reason you can’t have a little fun. Bar nuts are always a must, but fried chicken buns and grilled oysters have a place on the menu as well.”

Copra

Acclaimed chef Srijith “Sri” Gopinathan’s Copra is hands down one of San Francisco’s most beautiful restaurants complete with a wooden greenhouse with macrame, floor-to-ceiling shelves with local artisanal, hand-woven chandeliers and a slew of unique design elements creating a chic, sexy environment. Named after the dried coconut kernel used to extract coconut oil, Copra pays homage to the coastal cuisines of India’s southern states: Kerala where Gopinathan was born, as well as, Tamil Nadu where he grew up. From fresh local Indian spices to fresh heirloom seasonal ingredients from Northern California, the restaurant offers inspired brunch and dinner menus.

The restaurant offers flavor-driven, bold dishes such as the Shrimp Vennai Roast, cooked in chili chutney, brown butter, curry leaves, and lime and the Thattukada Fried Chicken, a classic street food from Trivandrum. On the larger plates, diners will can enjoy coastal dishes like the Black Cod Pollichathu, in which the fish is encrusted in a shallot coating before being wrapped in banana leaves and cooked on cast iron and a Varuval Spice-Crusted Hamachi Collar, simmered in a rich gravy and served with snow peas and coconut rice. Don’t miss out on sharable dishes like the vegetable of the day with three homestyle vegetarian recipes or the chutney pallete for the table which is served with pappadom.

Farmhouse

The beautiful Russian River property Farmhouse Inn’s upscale restaurant helmed by husband-and-wife duo, Executive Chef Craig Wilmer and Executive Pastry Chef Amanda Hoang’s is celebrating its one-year anniversary of guiding the culinary team at Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant. Using ingredients straight from property owner’s Joe and Catherine Bartolomei’s ranch or discovered by the chef on his daily farm stops en route to the inn, the cuisine is seasonal and ever-changing.

The property celebrated this milestone with a special eight course anniversary menu that featured hen egg spaghetti, crispy aromatic squab and more. With over 33 distinctive tasting menus created this year alone, each dish payed homage to the chefs’ Hispanic and Asian heritage, while also reflecting international cooking techniques refined during travels in South America and Southeast Asia.

Going forward, the property will be offering Chef’s Seasonal Tasting Menu consisting of specially curated courses along with some additional bites from the chef and changes both weekly and seasonally. For those looking for an abbreviated experience, they can enjoy the Vignette Tasting Menu which is composed of the chefs’ favorite vignettes of the Full Tasting Experience.

Expect dishes that highlight ingredients such as Masami striploin, Mt. Lassen Trout and white asparagus, caviar topped peas and other inventive interpretations of fresh produce, meats and fish sourced from Sonoma County and its surrounding areas.

Scoma’s

San Francisco’s beloved Scoma’s restaurant located at Fisherman’s Wharf has just unveiled it new two-course prix-fixe lunch from Monday-Friday. The menu offers three choices for each course and features some of their most classic dishes including the Clam Chowder (they sell over 40,000 servings a year), the Petite Crab Louie (on the menu since day one), as well some modern favorites like the Gulf Shrimp Mezzi Rigatoni with gremolata or True Cod with wild mushroom spaetzle and green garlic. The full menu can be found here.

Don’t miss out on The Don, their Famous Bloody Mary topped with a chilled shrimp, a bacon wrapped scallop, a crab cake fritter, and two fried Castelvetrano olives. Other popular items include The Lazy Man’s Cioppino, Scoma’s original take on the classic seafood stew and the ever-popular crab cakes. When in season, fresh local Dungeness crab, petrale sole, sand dabs, and halibut are also fan favorites on the menu.

Broad Street Oyster Co.

Ghirardelli Square’s newest seafood spot, Broad Street Oyster Co., made quite a splash with their viral caviar and uni topped lobster rolls. Based out of Los Angeles, the popular seafood restaurant is known for its vibrant aesthetic and fresh seafood-centric menu that also happens to be very Instagrammable. Not to mention the views from this location include the iconic Alcatraz and Aquatic Park.

The menu offers a nice selection of dishes that include fish and chips, calamari strips, a decadent uni pasta and a raw bar selection of oysters, clams and so much more. There’s even non-seafood items if it’s not your thing, along with specials like razor clams depending on what’s in season. If you want to go all out, get the epic seafood tower pilled high with prawns, stone crab claws, lobster tail, caviar and more. The location also offers specialties that pay homage to San Francisco like our cioppino and fresh Dungeness crab.