Culture of San Francisco - Festivals and Street Fairs

Festivals and Street Fairs

San Francisco is home to many different and unique street festivals, parties and parades. Most famous are its gay pride parade, the world's largest, held every June; the Folsom Street Fair held every September; Chinese New Year Parade held in February; Carnaval, held during the spring; Litquake and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in October; and the North American home of the Loveparade (now known as the "Lovefest"), held in the late summer/early fall. San Francisco is also home to running races such as the Bay to Breakers and the San Francisco Marathon. During Labor Day weekend in 2008, the city also played host to the first Slow Food Nation, the first major public event for Slow Food USA and one of the largest food events in the nation.

Many neighborhoods in San Francisco have annual street festivals featuring live music, arts and crafts vendors, and community organizations. Among the largest of these are Castro Street Fair, Union Street Art Festival, North Beach Festival, and Haight-Ashbury Street Fair. The San Francisco Opera company puts on an annual free Opera in the Park performance in Golden Gate Park. The San Francisco Symphony does likewise on several dates in July, including one as part of the Stern Grove Festival. On the Fourth of July holiday, there are fireworks shows over Fisherman's Wharf and Marina Green. Another fireworks show is held every May as part of the KFOG: Kaboom!.