The best of the Bay Area’s Latinx and Caribbean culture was on full display during San Francisco’s Carnaval. Musical and dance performances packed Harrison Street. Lowriders cruised Mission Street. Street food, art and artisanal crafts abounded. And of course, there was the Grand Parade, bringing colorful floats, dancers, singers and upwards of 400,000 people to the heart of the Mission District.
Considered the largest and longest-running multicultural celebration in California, the free, two-day festival was held during Memorial Day weekend from Saturday, May 25 to Sunday, May 26. The theme for this year’s Carnaval was “Honor Indigenous Roots.” “We purposefully chose the word ‘honor’ because we don’t want it to be passive,” said Rodrigo Duran, executive director of Carnaval SF. “Do it right now. “Don’t think about when you’re going to be part of the movement.”
Fittingly, Dr. Rigoberta Menchú Tum, a Mayan k’iche’ activist, was selected as the festival’s grand marshall. Having grown up in a small community in Guatemala, government forces tortured and killed Tum’s mother, father and brother for advocating for the rights of Indigenous farmworkers. She went into exile at 21 years old, and has since continued speaking out against the oppression of Indigenous communities across Latin America. Tum was awarded with a Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her activism.
In its 46th year, Duran said Carnaval has grown in size and influence since it was first held in 1979. “People’s worlds and perspectives are put together all in one space,” said Duran, who grew up in the Mission District and participated in the festival throughout the years. “That’s how we’ve been successful for 46 years, as a network of so many circles and families that ensures that Carnaval continues for the next generation.”
Sylvia Ramirez’s family is among them. Ramirez went to her first Carnaval when she was a television producer for ABC 7, as part of a news assignment. She was instantly hooked. “People can see headliners, international music artists at the festival, and they see it all for free. Where else do you get that? … And it’s also in a neighborhood … you just literally step out and come to your neighborhood streets.”
Ramirez has volunteered at Carnaval for about 20 years now, enlisting her husband and children to join her. She’s helped prepare floats and costumes, as well as written copy for the festival’s website and press releases. Her husband is a grant writer and a development consultant for the event. Her children, who grew up marching and dancing in the parade, are also passing down the Carnival tradition to their own kids.
“As San Franciscans, as people in the Mission District, we have our own special flavor, and you see it in Carnaval,” said Ramirez. “Whether you’re from Cuba, Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, etc. There’s [representation] of all the Latino diaspora.”
