SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco kicked off its annual Carnival celebration Saturday with a food and music festival spanning seven blocks of Harrison Street in the Mission District. For nearly 50 years, the event has highlighted the rich diversity within the city’s Latin community.
“Forty-six years ago, if we had a hundred people, that was a lot!” said Roberto Hernandez, CEO of CANA, the group that organizes the annual cultural festival and parade.
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Now attendance is closer to half a million, and while events celebrating San Francisco’s diversity often focus on one group at a time, Hernandez says Carnival takes a more holistic approach to recognizing Latin culture.
“Most people think we are Mexicans, but we are Brazilians, Argentinians, Cubans, Puerto Ricans – 18 different Latin American and Caribbean countries,” he said. “It brings harmony and educates people about the different roots of our culture as Latinos.”
That’s actually this year’s theme: “Honor Indigenous Roots.” It also emphasizes the connection with the Native American community. That diversity is reflected in everything at the festival, from the food to the art to the dancing. Behind it all is the music and a group of percussionists from the Radio Habana Social Club said it all starts with the drums.
“This would be like a samba,” Bobby Ibarra explained as he drummed a rhythm on a conga. “This would be a Cuban son de ma,” he said, changing the beat. “And then you went into mambo,” he said, changing it again to show the wide variety of styles. “Everyone – everyone – has their own input, because it comes from the feeling. And it is really a beautiful thing that happens.”
“These produce a Latin sound,” said Francis De Leon, pointing to the congas. “But the tradition of drums came from Africa. If there is no Africa, there are no drums!”
During Carnival, the connection between Africa and Latin America is a constant theme. Oakland graphic artist Jerry Limon uses a mix of images from the continents in his Estilo Clothing collection.
“Well, I actually identify as Afro-Latino, so it’s two things coming together to make one thing that’s very celebrated,” he said. “Carnival to me is essentially a celebration, you know? A celebration of life. And here you see many different cultures celebrating what they have to offer the community.”
Bringing cultures together is the goal of Carnival and Jorge Gonzalez said he has been coming to the festival and parade every year since he was a child. This year he brought his own son.
“It’s just like your family here, you know?” González said. “You can’t go too far without seeing someone you grew up with or someone you’re related to. Just hanging out and meeting people here. It’s fun!”
The weekend festival and Sunday parade have grown naturally over nearly half a century and have become a mainstay of San Francisco tradition. The event’s main organizer, Roberto Hernandez, said it is the roots of the Latin community that give Carnival its authenticity. While other parts of the country need to work to promote diversity, in San Francisco it is a given.
“Here in the Mission and San Francisco, it’s exactly that way — it lends itself to it — because it grows organically within you,” Hernandez said.
