This year’s theme for San Francisco Carnaval was “La Copa del Pueblo,” celebrating soccer, as a sort of prelude to the upcoming World Cup. Needless to say, soccer is a big deal in the Latin American communities that throw the annual Carnaval events and grand parade.
After a week of chilly temperatures it was a warm afternoon for the parade, if somewhat windy. The latter had the effect of knocking some of the inflatable decor around — though thankfully it also blew away the noxious fumes from the lowriders.
As in previous years the crowds were thickest around 24th Street, thinning out considerably towards 16th Street. This year in particular though the parade had to contend with fenced off areas due to street design improvements near 16th.
Perhaps if I’d had more time and stayed longer I could have snagged one of those plastic beaded necklaces. Still, I doubt I’ll ever see anything as memorable as the “stoic cop” interaction from several years back.
