Memorial Day Weekend Festival & Parade

Carnaval San Francisco will return to the Mission District on Saturday, May 23, and Sunday, May 24, for its 48th annual Memorial Day weekend festival, according to the event’s organizers. The free street festival is centered on Harrison Street and runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days, while the Grand Parade is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Organizers say this year’s theme is “La Copa del Pueblo,” or “The People’s Cup,” tying the event to soccer and community culture in the neighborhood. The event website says the celebration will include 17 blocks of festival space, five music stages, five DJ block parties and a 20-block parade route. ### Where exactly does the festival take place? Harrison Street between 16th and 24th streets is the main festival corridor, according to San Francisco Travel and the event website. Several listings circulating ahead of the weekend describe the footprint as running between 17th and 24th streets, but the organizer’s site and San Francisco Travel both place the festival between 16th and 24th streets. (carnavalsanfrancisco.org) The event is in the Mission District and is free to attend. The Mission District location matters for transit and access because large crowds and street closures are expected over the weekend. San Francisco Travel advises visitors to use BART to either the 16th Street or 24th Street station and walk to the festival area, and says driving and parking are discouraged during the event. (sftravel.com) ### When does the parade start, and where does it go? Sunday, May 24, is the day of the Grand Parade, which organizers say begins at 10 a.m. at 24th and Bryant streets. The parade then moves west to Mission Street, heads north on Mission to 15th Street and turns east to South Van Ness Avenue, according to San Francisco Travel and the event website. Organizers describe the parade as covering 20 blocks. (sftravel.com) Grandstand seating will be available near 22nd and Mission streets, according to the event website. The site lists general seating outside Gray Area Theatre at 2665 Mission St. and at the corner of 22nd and Mission near 2601 Mission St., with premier seating next to the judges’ stage outside The Hall SF Bar & Billiards at 2565 Mission St. (sftravel.com) ### What will people see during the weekend? Carnaval San Francisco says the weekend will feature music, dance, food, arts and crafts across five main stages. San Francisco Travel says the parade includes Brazilian samba schools, Caribbean contingents, Mexican Aztec performers, African drummers, Polynesian dancers, Japanese drummers, giant puppets and folkloric groups representing countries including Guatemala, Honduras and Bolivia. (carnavalsanfrancisco.org) KQED reported on May 13 that the 2026 festival will feature headliner Su Majestad Mi Banda El Mexicano de Casimiro on Saturday and more than 70 contingents in Sunday’s parade. KQED also reported that more than 3,000 dancers, musicians and artists are expected across the weekend. (sftravel.com) ### Why is this year built around soccer? Rodrigo Durán, the event’s executive director, told KQED that this year’s theme reflects the communities Carnaval serves. “Soccer is deeply ingrained in Latin American culture,” Durán said, according to KQED. The event website says “La Copa del Pueblo” is meant to celebrate “the people who play it, love it, and live it,” and describes a soccer arena planned for 20th and Harrison streets during the weekend. (kqed.org) The organizer’s site says the festival expects more than half a million attendees from around the world. That attendance figure is presented by the event itself, and KQED described Carnaval as one of San Francisco’s most emblematic celebrations and one of the biggest of its kind on the West Coast. ### What should visitors know before they go? (kqed.org) No pets are allowed in the festival area, according to San Francisco Travel. The same guide says public transit is the easiest way in, with BART stops at 16th Street and 24th Street offering the shortest walks. May 23 and May 24 are the key dates for the 2026 event, with the festival opening at 11 a.m. both days and the Grand Parade stepping off at 10 a.m. on Sunday. (carnavalsanfrancisco.org) Carnaval San Francisco says tickets for grandstand seating and additional event details are available through the organizer’s website ahead of the weekend. (sftravel.com)