SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – San Francisco's Mission District is booming as the city's Carnaval returns for the first time since 2019.
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Carnaval San Francisco is described as the largest multicultural celebration on the West Coast. The two-day festival marked its 44th anniversary on May 28 and 29.
Along with the festival, there is a Grand Parade which covers 20 blocks in San Francisco, boasting a 60–contingent lineup with over 3,000 artists representing Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Cuba, Peru, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, El Salvador and more.
"I've gone to places where we celebrate one beautiful culture in Brazil, one beautiful culture in Mexico, in Colombia. Well, in San Francisco, here we have all 23 Latin American and Caribbean countries represented," Carnaval Executive Director Rodrigo Duran told KCBS Radio.
Duran said they've received 64 entrants when they originally thought they’d get 50. "The sun and the weather are factors that we can't control in San Francisco and it all comes down to that," he explained. "Other than that, the artists are ready, they're pulsating with radiant energy that’s love is what they're bringing."
The Carnaval includes a wide variation of Latin, Caribbean and African Diasporic dances including Salsa, Samba and Cumbia. "My grandmother danced in Carnaval back in the day and my mom and my aunt, so I’m following in their footsteps," one dancer told KCBS Radio.
"It's gorgeous out here, the people are just full of life. I’m so excited," a second dancer added.
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