Carnaval San Francisco attracts over 500,000 individuals to the Mission District each year and involves hundreds of local bay area artists and arts organizations, making it the largest multi-ethnic festival in California. The two–day event attracts renown Carnaval ensembles from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as internationally acclaimed headliners.
The festivities include a Grand Parade and festival, each drawing upon broad cultural pageantry and fostering a spirit of universal inclusiveness. With over 60 community arts comparsas, or contingents, participating annually in the parade, CSF has deep and nurturing relationships with local artists whose work is representative of a wide spectrum of world traditions.
Applications are now open for Festival Volunteers, Parade Volunteers, Festival Stage Performers, Comparsa Stage Performers, and Comparsa Parade Participants.
Click in the drop–down menu below for details and application links.
APPLICATIONS
Date of Celebration: Saturday May 24, 2025 & Sunday May 25, 2025
Festival Time: 11:00 am – 6:00 pm (both days)
Parade Time: 9:30 am – 2:00 pm (Sunday)
*Lunch will be provided to all volunteers
There will be a required volunteer meeting. There will be 2 date options for you to choose from (1 in person or 1 online). Pick one in the application.
Volunteer Orientation #1: Saturday, May 17th from 1 pm to 3 pm
OR
Volunteer Orientation #2: Online Volunteer Orientation – Tuesday, May 20th from 6 pm to 8 pm
We welcome and encourage individual or group volunteers.
All volunteers will get a t–shirt, boxed meals, and the gratifying and joyous feeling of contributing to and supporting a community desperately in need during the pandemic.
For those who are interested, we will have periodic informal virtual happy hours for volunteers prior to (and possibly after) our events as a way to get to know other community minded people in and around the Mission District.
Be sure to sign–up for our newsletter for future announcements.
For questions, send an email to our volunteer coordinators at volunteer@carnavalsf.
You can volunteer for our events knowing that we comply with federal, state, and local health guidelines. To read our Participant Health & Wellness Statement, click on the button below.
APPLICATION
If you’d like to request a PDF version of the application, please reach out to vendor@carnavalsf.org (Si quieres pedir una versión en PDF de la solicitud, mándanos un correo a vendor@carnavalsf.org.)
REQUIRED FORMS FROM CARNAVAL SAN FRANCISCO
REQUIRED FORMS FROM THE CITY & COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO
APPLICATION
Festival Exhibitor Application
If you’d like to request a PDF version of the application, please reach out to vendor@carnavalsf.org (Si quieres pedir una versión en PDF de la solicitud, mándanos un correo a vendor@carnavalsf.org.)
This application is for artists performing on the Carnaval San Francisco Festival stages.
*Note: This is not the application for the parade performers or exhibitors/vendors.APPLICATION
This application is ONLY for comparsas and dance groups interested in performing on the Comparsa Stage on Saturday, May 24 or Sunday, May 25, 2024 on 21st Street between Harrison and Alabama Streets.
DEFINITION OF A COMPARSA: A comparsa is an artistic, street theater performance group with its own theme, cast of dancers, musicians, other performers, with choreography, costumes, and props–– and in the case of the Grand Parade–– floats. A comparsa creates a new theme for each annual Carnaval San Francisco. To express this theme a comparsa choreographs new dances, performs new music, and sews/buys new costumes. A community organization, local business, company, government agency, or political entity is not a comparsa.
APPLICATION
DATE OF PARADE: Sunday, May 25, 2025
EARLY BIRD APPLICATION DEADLINE: Saturday, February 15, 2025 by 11:59 pm
LATE APPLICATION DEADLINE: Saturday, March 1, 2025 by 11:59 pm
DEFINITION OF A COMPARSA: A comparsa is an artistic, street theater performance group with its own theme, cast of dancers, musicians, other performers, with choreography, costumes, props, and floats. A comparsa creates a new theme for each annual Carnaval San Francisco. To express this theme a comparsa builds a new float, choreographs new dances, performs new music, and sews/buys new costumes. Comparsas must have at least 30 dance performers, not including volunteers. A community organization, local business, company, government agency, or political entity is not a comparsa.
REQUIRED FROM CARNAVAL SAN FRANCISCO
Photographer applications for Carnaval San Francisco 2024 are now closed.
ABOUT REGISTRATION
Registration closes April 15th. The lottery will be drawn on April 19, 2024 and selectees will be notified via email.
Passes will be distributed Saturday, May 25, 2024 at the festival and Sunday, May 26th before the parade.
We are so excited to welcome you all back and cannot wait to see the amazing media you create! Credit will be given, so please be sure to include your social media profiles!
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Amanda Nelson at photography@carnavalsf.org
SPONSOR US
Your sponsorship and support is the backbone of our existence. Help us continue to make this year’s Festival, now in its 46th year, the best one yet! Sponsorship brings added attractions to our exciting event, and helps fund floats, entertainment and awards. Your pledge will support Carnaval’s operations this year and into the future, thus cementing this beloved San Francisco tradition annually!
To explore our sponsorship opportunities, download our 2025 Carnaval SF Sponsorship Packet.
For sponsorship, contact Rodrigo Duran, Executive Director at (415) 691–1147 or via email at rodrigo@carnavalsf.org
