20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
It's samba time! At Carnaval San Francisco, AfroMundo takes over the Mission
The 47th edition of Carnaval San Francisco is gearing up to hit the streets of the city's Mission District during the weekend of May 24-25.
This year's theme, AfroMundo: African Diaspora in the Americas, pays tribute to the global impact of the African diaspora. And 'from samba and tango to jazz, hip-hop, salsa and beyond, it honors this legacy with a lineup of live music, dance and art that connects communities across the Americas,' organizers said.
The vibrant, admission-free celebration, with an eye-popping, toe-tapping grand parade as its main event, is expected to draw as many as 500,000 attendees.
Cheer and people-watch during Sunday's parade, which is set to include vivacious dancers in flashy Carnaval costumes with live samba, bomba and other marching music, floats and more.
And there's good news from the event's parent organization, Cultura y Arte Nativa de las Américas. It has a fresh space — Casa de Carnaval — on Florida Street in San Francisco, which will serve as a cultural hub, offering year-round events, classes and activities.
The vibe
This high-energy, inclusive event set in the heart of the Mission District offers family-friendly activities, live entertainment, cultural arts, locally made global cuisine, a vending marketplace, and a full lineup of live music and dancing.
The festival
Saturday and Sunday's open-air celebration will take place along Harrison Street, between 16th and 24th streets, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Attendees can enjoy performance arts live on multiple stages.
The lineup
The live entertainment roster includes mariachi groups and multicultural music and dance ensembles. Enjoy headlining performances from the youthful Cuban reparto artist, Wampi and Mexico City-based DJ-producer Camilo Lara's Mexican Institute of Sound on the event's two main stages at 5 p.m.
The parade
Sunday's Grand Parade — with Bay Area-based, Afro-Latin percussionist John Santos and renowned Brazilian dancer-vocalist Dandha Da Hora set to serve as grand marshals — starts at 9:30 a.m. at Bryant and 24th streets.
From there, more than 70 parade contingents will strut their stuff along 20 blocks in San Francisco's historic Latino Cultural District — including the recently crowned king and queen of Carnaval, Germán Tike and Zoel Esperanza, comparsa dance and drum troupes, impressive floats, and thousands of artists representing the cultural heritages of Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Cuba, Peru, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador and more.
The parade route heads west to Mission Street and then east on 15th Street before ending at South Van Ness Avenue.
How do I get there?
With the road closures necessary to host this massive celebration, your best bet is to avoid driving and use public transportation.
If you're riding Muni, the following routes will get you to where the action is: 9-San Bruno, 12-Folsom/Pacific, 14-Mission/14R-Mission Rapid, 22-Fillmore, 27-Bryant, 33-Ashbury/18th Street, 48-Quintara/24th Street, 49-Van Ness/Mission, 55-16th Street and 67-Bernal Heights.
Be aware that some bus lines will be rerouted on Sunday to accommodate the parade route.
If you're riding BART in from around the Bay Area, either the 24th Street or 16th Street stations will place you along the parade route. And for the Saturday-Sunday street festival, each station is just a short walk away from the Harrison Street festivities.
