Road closures and traffic: what to expect during the Carnaval Festival

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Published  May 22, 2026 5:09 PM PDT
KTVU FOX 2

A map of road closures during the Carnaval festival. Courtesy SFMTA

The Brief

    • The annual Carnaval Festival in San Francisco's Mission District is being held this weekend, and multiple roads will be closed as a result.
    • Commuters should plan for traffic and closures. Attendees are encouraged to use public transit to reach the event.
    • Carnaval has been a tradition since 1979, an

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco’s annual Carnaval festival kicks off this weekend, and commuters near the city’s Mission District should plan accordingly.

The two-day celebration of Latin American, Caribbean and African cultures stretches across 17 blocks, and will feature a vibrant array of bright colors, traditional music and diverse food options.

This year’s theme is "Copa de Pueblo," and will feature a variety of World Cup-themed activities.

The festival opens Saturday morning, but the central event, the Grand Parade, is scheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m.

Organizers strongly advise attendees to utilize public transit to get to the Mission District, as parking in the neighborhood is expected to be practically nonexistent.

Closures

What we know:

The following roads will be closed as a result of the event:

From 4 p.m. Friday, May 22 to 2 a.m. Monday, May 25:

  • Harrison Street between 16th and 24th streets
  • 20th Street between Harrison Street and Treat Avenue
  • 21st Street between Harrison and Alabama streets

From 7 p.m., Friday, May 22 to 2 a.m., Monday, May 25:

  • Harrison Street between 16th and 24th streets
  • Alabama Street (west side only) between 16th and 24th streets
  • 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd streets between Folsom and Alabama streets
  • Mariposa Street between Harrison and Alabama streets
  • Treat Avenue between 16th and 21st streets
  • Mistral Street between Treat Avenue and Harrison Street

During the same window, the following intersections will be closed:

  • Harrison Street at 17th, Mariposa, 18th, 19th, Mistral, 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd streets
  • Treat Avenue at 17th, 18th, 19th and Mistral streets

Longstanding tradition

The backstory:

San Francisco’s Carnaval celebrations started in 1979, and since then hundreds of thousands of attendees have partaken in the event each year. 

Previous iterations have included dozens of floats and multiple classic lowriders from several car clubs across California.

The Source: San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority

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