This is the largest annual parade in Northern California, somewhere north of 400,000 attendees across the full weekend. The Grand Parade is the headline: costumed samba schools, steel drum bands, Aztec dancers, and floats that have been in production since January. The festival footprint in Cesar Chavez Street's carnival grounds runs Saturday–Sunday with food vendors, live stages, and a kids zone. Most food is cash-preferred.

What's different from prior years is worth checking the official site closer to date — parade routes and lineup shift, and 2026 marks the 48th edition, which occasionally brings expanded programming. Arrive by 9am if you want a front-row spot on Harrison; the sidewalks fill fast between 18th and 22nd.

If you have two hours: catch the parade from the 20th Street stretch, then walk south to the festival grounds for food and the main stage. You'll see the full thing without fighting the thickest crowds at the finish.