Carnaval San Francisco
Carnaval San Francisco, established 1979, is an annual street parade and festival in San Francisco, California, United States, held on the last weekend in May.
About
Carnaval San Francisco, is a free two-day annual family festival in San Francisco's Mission District over Memorial Day weekend, held on Harrison Street between 16th and 24th Streets, Guests can experience global cuisine, international music, dance, arts & crafts, and other fun activities and entertainment on every street corner for the entire family to enjoy. Carnaval San Francisco is the largest multi–cultural celebration on the West Coast.History
Carnaval San Francisco was founded by a group of artists organized by percussionist Marcus Gordon, dancer Adela Chu, percussionist John Santos, activist Sir Lawrence and costume designer Pam Minor in 1979, who came together in Precita Park. The second Carnaval San Francisco was held in the Mission District's Dolores Park.Since 2003, the Carnaval Grand Parade has run through Calle 24 in the Mission District of San Francisco. The event is produced by Mission Neighborhood Centers as a fundraiser for youth, children, family and senior programs. The Cultural Arts Committee of MNC together with the Carnaval Advisory Committee oversee the administration of the parade and festival, which contract with long-time Mission District activist Roberto Hernandez to run the event. For the 2009 Carnaval the production of the parade and festival was turned over to event production company Rita Barela & Associates, while the CAC produced the other official events including the King and Queen Competition.
In 2016, the theme "¡Viva La Madre Tierra!" celebrated Mother Earth's prevalence in many cultures worldwide as the manifestation of the natural world. There was a virtual carnaval in 2020.