San Francisco Annual Carnaval celebration has been compared to the New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration, which it is very similar to. They are both Latin and Caribbean celebrations with a lot of eating and drinking, sometimes all to excess, the last week before the Catholic holiday of Lent, after there are restrictions on both. The main difference between the two is, where as the New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration has a very French flavor because of New Orleans history, San Francisco having such a large and diverse Latin and Caribbean mix, her Carnival is also both much larger and more diverse. Having been in different parts of The City, and different dates, it is now in the heart of the Latin section of the The Mission District, and now at the end of May, for more favorable weather. San Francisco Annual Carnival always starts with this festival on day one, and the Grand Parade on day two. The festival of course has many vendors with many different kinds of foods and drinks, as well as vendors of clothings, jewelry, perfumes, artworks and other kinds of products, as well as local services, like the Police and Fire Departments. There was a traditional Maypole Dance, whose roots go back to the ancient Pagan. Because Paganism has been associated with witchcraft, this was banned in many countries for a long time, but has been making a come back. Originally danced around an actual tree, when dancing through town a pole is used instead. When the ribbon is wrapped around the tree or pole, that is called a Closed Plait.This years theme is about the African Diaspora throughout the Caribbean and Latin regions, with an estimated nearly five hundred thousand people coming out and enjoying the event. 24 May 2025.
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