Try the total Carnaval 2026 pageant lineup.
Maybe the largest addition to this 12 months’s pageant is the world totally devoted to soccer on Harrison between nineteenth and twentieth streets, the place native soccer groups will host scrimmages and giveaways all through the weekend.
You may even enroll forward of time to request a particular time for you and your group to play (3 vs. 3 and 5 vs. 5 choices obtainable). La Plaza del Fútbol — as organizers have named the area — is open to all genders and talent ranges.
All through the weekend, there will even be 4 totally different block events, every with stay DJs hitting totally different musical kinds.
A type of block events — Colores de Amor on Harrison and twentieth — will characteristic drag performances on Sunday by Per Sia and Dulce De Leche, together with DJ units from Brown Angel.
The place are the entrances to the Carnaval 2026 pageant?
You’ll discover free entrances (and exits) on each avenue from sixteenth to twenty fourth streets, positioned at:
- sixteenth and Harrison
- seventeenth and Alabama
- 18th and Folsom
- nineteenth and Alabama
- twentieth and Folsom
- twentieth and Alabama
- twenty first and Folsom
- twenty third and Folsom
- twenty third and Alabama
- twenty fourth and Harrison.
Guests can’t convey outdoors alcoholic drinks into the pageant area. Alcohol is out there for buy contained in the pageant, however solely in particular enclosed areas requiring guests to supply identification for entry. Pets are additionally not permitted within the pageant area — besides in the event that they’re service animals.
Keep in mind: Safety workers might be current at every entrance to verify luggage.
When does the Carnaval Grand Parade begin, and what’s the parade route?
The Carnaval Grand Parade takes place on Sunday, Might 29. Beginning at 10 a.m., the parade options dozens of floats and lots of of dancers transferring by way of the whole neighborhood.
The Carnaval parade route begins at Bryant and twenty fourth streets, then strikes by way of twenty fourth Road, takes a proper on Mission Road, stays on that avenue all the best way to fifteenth Road, and wraps up at Harrison and fifteenth streets.
The dancers and musicians within the parade carry out nonstop the entire approach, which is a very spectacular feat when you think about that a number of the most elaborate outfits can weigh as much as 40 kilos.
On prime of that, there’s a contest ingredient — as contingents, or comparsas, compete in opposition to one another in a number of classes. Judges will rank every comparsa on originality, choreography and manufacturing design.
Should you can’t make it precisely on the 10 a.m. parade begin time, don’t fear: The parade goes on for hours earlier than lastly wrapping up at 2 p.m.
Can’t make it in particular person in any respect? KPIX might be streaming the parade on-line.
Just a few issues to search for on the Carnaval San Francisco Grand Parade
What makes San Francisco’s Carnaval distinct from different Carnaval celebrations you might even see in Rio de Janeiro or Barranquilla is that it embraces the a number of traditions and histories of California’s Latin American and Caribbean diasporas.
One custom that San Francisco has carried on for many years: a number of weeks earlier than Carnaval weekend, group members select a brand new King and Queen of Carnaval. This 12 months, Chris Cornelious and Mizzy Ng will put on the crowns in the course of the parade.
The 70 totally different comparsas that make up this 12 months’s parade embody long-standing teams like Flavaz of D’ Caribbean, who’ve gained a number of Carnaval classes 12 months after 12 months with high-energy choreography representing the music of Trinidad and Tobago.
You may as well spot the contingent from Tradición Peruana Cultural Heart — one of many oldest community-led teams nationwide devoted to Peruvian tradition, which, regardless of dropping its San Francisco house earlier this 12 months, has continued to work with public faculties to advertise Peruvian dance and drumming.
And when you dance to the music, be sure to pay shut consideration to what the performers are sporting. Many comparsas begin making ready their parade outfits months prematurely.
For instance, dancers with Carnaval Putleco, a comparsa which honors the tradition of Putla, Oaxaca, by dancing with tiliches: extremely colourful and elaborate full-body fits made by hand with lots of of ribbons, shells and beads.
See the total record of collaborating comparsas at Carnaval San Francisco.
If the Carnaval San Francisco Grand Parade is free, can I simply present up?
Sure: no tickets or registration are required for the Carnaval parade — or the pageant itself. Simply present up wherever alongside the parade route and benefit from the present.
Nevertheless, if you need a novel vantage level, you should buy particular Grand Stand seats for the Carnaval parade.
These elevated bleachers, positioned alongside Mission Road between twenty second and twenty third streets, are subsequent to the judges’ tables, the place every contingent will pause and carry out for an additional period of time. Remember the fact that Grand Stand tickets will solely be obtainable earlier than the parade and won’t be bought day of.
There aren’t any actually dangerous spots from which to observe the parade, however in case you publish up at twenty fourth Road, you’ll be a lot nearer to the performers — albeit a bit extra cramped with foot site visitors. Should you’re on Mission Road, you’ll undoubtedly have much more room to maneuver round.
Who’s headlining this 12 months at Carnaval San Francisco?
Over 50 musicians, DJs and dance teams will carry out all through the weekend throughout the 4 phases and 5 block events positioned all through Harrison Road.
This 12 months’s headliner is Mi Banda el Mexicano de Casimiro — and getting the band to Carnaval is a dream come true, Durán stated. When organizers made the announcement final month on social media, lots of of followers shortly posted how excited they had been in regards to the group coming to the pageant.
Even in case you don’t know the group’s music simply but, stick round and watch how followers dance. Lots of Banda El Mexicano’s biggest hits helped the quebradita style of Mexican regional music attain wider audiences on either side of the border all through the 90s. And since dancing quebradita is an acrobatic feat, count on excessive kicks, flips within the air and backbends from inside the crowd — multi functional music.
See the total record of performers at Carnaval San Francisco.
Is Carnaval San Francisco family-friendly?
Sure: For a lot of Bay Space households, going to Carnaval with the children, teenagers and grandparents is a decades-long custom.
Within the pageant area, organizers have arrange a Children Zone at Harrison and 18th Road the place households can paint, dance and play drums. Households are additionally welcome to hitch the totally different actions scheduled at La Plaza del Fútbol.
You’ll additionally discover an space arrange for skateboarding on twenty third and Harrison, subsequent to a well being and wellness pavilion providing testing for each COVID-19 and blood stress.
Occasion workers might be current at a number of factors all through the pageant, together with an info sales space on nineteenth and Harrison.
How do I get to Carnaval San Francisco? What about parking?
Should you’re planning to drive into the Mission throughout Carnaval weekend, it’s not going to be straightforward.
The areas surrounding Harrison Road, from sixteenth to twenty fourth streets, might be closed off to automobiles the entire weekend, which suggests an enormous quantity of the neighborhood’s parking spots might be off-limits. Even residents should transfer their automobiles to make approach for the pageant, so there’ll be a whole lot of competitors for the few remaining spots left.
“Driving in is just not one of the best thought,” stated Durán, who recommends that attendees as an alternative use public transit to get to the celebrations.
However in case you do must drive, he recommended in search of a spot to the west of Harrison Road (previous Valencia Road) because the streets on the jap half of the Mission District will see probably the most competitors for parking.
On Sunday, all automobiles parked alongside the Grand Parade route should transfer, together with Mission Road from twenty fourth Road to fifteenth Road, chunks of twenty fourth and fifteenth streets as properly, and sections of Bryant Road.
Should you stay on any of the streets that’ll be taken over by Carnaval this weekend and want to maneuver your automotive in or out of your storage, search for a Carnaval workers member to allow them to escort your car by way of the emergency entry lanes.
Taking public transit to Carnaval San Francisco
BART will proceed working with a weekday schedule at each sixteenth and twenty fourth Mission stations.
On Saturday, you may experience the 22, 33, 55 and 48 Muni bus routes, which can cross close to the pageant entrances, and the 9, 12, 14, 14R and 49 bus strains can drop you off a number of blocks away. Put together on your journey on Muni utilizing SFMTA’s on-line planning instrument.
SFMTA officers confirmed with KQED that the entire record of Muni service affected by the pageant and parade might be obtainable a number of days forward of Carnaval.
If you wish to keep away from congestion attributable to all of the modifications to Muni service, your finest wager could be to take BART to both sixteenth or twenty fourth Mission BART stations.
Put together on your journey on BART utilizing the company’s on-line planning instrument.
