Carnaval San Francisco!
Memorial Day Weekend in San Francisco means one major thing: Carnaval. For almost thirty years now, The Mission has come to life on this May weekend with a multi-cultural, multi-event celebration. There’s food and art, music and dance and general street fair camaraderie throughout the weekend celebrating the various Latin and Caribbean cultures for which the mardi-gras-esque carnaval celebration is known throughout the world.
Location of Carnaval SF:
It happens on Harrison Street from 16th St. – 23rd St. There will be seven stages along this route with different kinds of entertainment.
Time and dates of Carnaval SF 2007:
May 26th and 27th, 2007 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. both days.
The Parade:
A major event of Carnaval SF is the parade which takes place on Sunday morning, starting at 9:30 a.m. on the corner of 24th St. and Bryant St. and continuing along the length of the carnaval area.
We’re lucky to have the diversity that we have here in San Francisco and this is just one way to go out and celebrate that!
1 Comment
The hype is very well described in the media, dancing, food and good times were had by all, however the reality is quite different for the residents that live near the Festival & parade grounds of Carnaval SF.
As a result, sadly, our neighborhood no longer welcomes Carnaval and dreads their impending arrival with the annual exodus of residents fleeing the deafening noise, increased crime, public intoxication, lack of parking and garbage that winds up literally in our backyard for four days.
Quality of life issues in the residential neighborhood immediately surrounding the Festival and Parade route, before, during and after Carnaval SF’s Festival & Parade that residents endure include;
1) Excessive noise from seven stages with continuous live music and entertainment including amplification directly in front of or adjacent to residential buildings.
2) Safety concerns from crowded streets with hundreds of thousands of festival attendees.
3) A documented increase in property crimes and crimes against persons (robberies, purse snatchings, stabbing, assaults and fights, gang activity) during the Festival.
4) Lack of consultation and co-operation with the residents from Carnaval Festival organizers, sponsors, vendors and volunteers.
5) Repeated failure by Carnaval organizers and promoters to honor agreements with the residents.
6) Street Closures resulting in denied access to residential buildings for owners, residents and guests.
7) Enforcement of “No Parking” rules established by Carnaval for 49 hours in a residential area with limited off street parking.
9) Public intoxication and urination.
Carnaval SF doesn’t own our neighborhood yet Festival organizer and promoters consistently behave as if it is their “right” to do exactly as they please.
Carnaval SF has proven that it cannot behave like a good neighbor by steamrolling their way onto our streets and selling our neighborhood to Comcast, Budweiser and other sponsors that profit from creating havoc on our streets for four days and offering residents nothing in return.
It’s time for Carnaval SF to respect the wishes of the neighborhood it is a GUEST of and move off of Harrison.