The Guide toSan 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 (May 24 and 25, 2025). The festivities center on Harrison Street in the Mission District between 16th and 24th streets.
This year's theme is "AfroMundo: African Diaspora in the Americas." AfroMundo celebrates the resilience, spirit, and cultural legacy of the African diaspora through music, dance, and song. This year’s theme honors the rhythms and traditions that have shaped the Americas—uniting generations through creativity, resistance, and joy.
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
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 to 15th Street and turns east to South Van Ness Avenue. Bleacher seats are available for the Grand Parade.
Festival
The two-day festival on Memorial Day Weekend happens from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day and will unfold along Harrison Street between 16th and 24th streets. The festival will feature various food, music, dance, arts, crafts, and entertainment on five main stages that 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!
Take BART 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.
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