CARNAVAL SAN FRANCISCO 2015 ANNOUNCES 37 TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION, AGUA SAGRADA CADA GOTA CUENTA! / SACRED WATER EVERY DROP COUNTS!

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 29, 2015 CONTACT Laura Gigounas Public Relations 415.203.2802 laura.gigounas@gmail.

1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 29, 2015 CONTACT Laura Gigounas Public Relations CARNAVAL SAN FRANCISCO 2015 ANNOUNCES 37 TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION, AGUA SAGRADA CADA GOTA CUENTA! / SACRED WATER EVERY DROP COUNTS! California s Largest Annual Multi-Cultural Celebration Brings Samba, Salsa, Soca, Cumbia and More to e Mission District Festival and Grand Parade To Take Place Memorial Day Weekend SAN FRANCISCO The Mission district will sizzle wi e sights and sounds of samba, salsa, soca, cumbia and more when e 37 Annual Carnaval San Francisco makes its way rough e neighborhood, showcasing e very best of Latin American and Caribbean cultures. Beginning in February and continuing rough Memorial Day weekend, May 23 and 24, Carnaval San Francisco will heat up e city wi a full season of fun-loving festivities, including a Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras party, e annual King & Queen Competition, a Carnaval at Night celebration at e Exploratorium, a Carnaval inspired SF Giants pre-game fiesta at AT&T Park, and of course, e Carnaval San Francisco two-day Festival and Parade. Carnaval San Francisco offers a dazzling array of food, music, dance and artistry from Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, New Orleans, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and more. Works created by e talented community of Mission District residents and Bay Area artists are also showcased.

2 Event organizers chose is year s eme, Agua Sagrada Cada Gota Cuenta! / Sacred Water Every Drop Counts! to celebrate water as precious and sacred. While public awareness regarding e value of water has been heightened recently due to California s ongoing drought, e reverence for water and its life-sustaining role has been noted by cultures wi differing belief systems all over e world for centuries. The Carnaval San Francisco Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24 from 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Located on Harrison Street between 16 and 24 Streets, e Festival will feature a rich assortment of food, music, dance, arts, crafts and oer fun activities and entertainment on several stages for people of all ages to enjoy. The Grand Parade on Sunday, May 24, begins at 9:30 a.m. wi a brilliant procession of contingents, most of which will feature beautifully adorned floats depicting rich multicultural emes and featuring performers who engage and entertain e crowds. Brazilian-style escola samba schools wi up to 300 members dance rough e streets in fantastic feaered headdresses or sweeping Bahia skirts, while Caribbean contingents perform e music and dance of e Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad. Oer parade groups include Mexican Aztec performers, traditional African drummers, Polynesian dancers, Japanese drummers, giant puppets and folkloric groups representing Guatemala, Honduras and Bolivia. The Grand Parade will start at e corner of 24 and Bryant Streets where it will proceed west to Mission Street. From ere, e parade heads nor on Mission down to 17 Street, where it will turn east to Sou Van Ness. Admission to e festival and parade are FREE. Grandstand seating for e parade, located on Mission Street between 21 and 22 Streets, is available for st nd purchase online at or at e King & Queen Competition. Tickets to e King & Queen Competition are also available for advance purchase

3 online at Advance purchase to is event is highly recommended. Space is limited and last year s event sold out. Carnaval San Francisco 2015 Season of Events Carnaval San Francisco will shine wi a season of special events leading up to Memorial Day weekend. Carnaval San Francisco's spectacular Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras celebration will take place on Tuesday, February 17. Next, e royals of Carnaval San Francisco will be crowned at e annual King & Queen Competition, to be held at e Brava Theater, on March 28. The Exploratorium will host Carnaval At Night on May 1. And finally, e San Francisco Giants and Carnaval San Francisco invite all to attend a pre-game party, Carnaval San Francisco style, e night of May 23. (Detailed information about each of ese events will be distributed in future announcements.) About Carnaval San Francisco Conceived 37 years ago by a group of local musicians, artists and residents eager to bring e spirit of Latin American and Caribbean culture to San Francisco, Carnaval San Francisco has grown to become e largest annual multicultural celebration in California. Carnaval San Francisco is produced by Brava! For Women in e Arts, and is generously supported by San Francisco Grants for e Arts. About Brava! For Women in e Arts Brava! For Women in e Arts is a professional arts organization at also owns and operates e Brava Theater Center. BRAVA produces, presents and cultivates e artistic expression of women, people of color, you, LGBTQ and oer unheard voices. Founded in 1986 by Ellen Gavin and an eclectic and talented group of women, Brava! For Women in e Arts was created to give

4 voice to e unspoken realities of women's lives rough e creation of new eater works. To expand its mission, Brava! For Women in e Arts purchased e historic Mission District building, e York Theatre, renaming it Brava Theater Center. Comprised of a Main Stage wi world-class lighting and sound, a Second Stage at doubles as a rehearsal studio, and a contemporary lobby/gallery showcasing visual art, Brava Theater Center has become synonymous wi ought-provoking shows at spotlight artists from around e Bay Area and beyond. About San Francisco Grants for e Arts (GFTA) Established rough a combination of City and State legislation, and approved by e City's Board of Supervisors, GFTA has evolved into a national model of arts funding. The Fund is committed to supporting e broadest spectrum of e San Francisco arts community, including for example, e nation's first international film festival, e oldest continuously performing ballet company in e country, one of e premier African American eatre groups on e West Coast, an internationally acclaimed symphony, a gay and lesbian eatre wi a national presence, e leading Bay Area presenters of contemporary performance, and an array of festivals celebrating e heritages of our many cultures, all adding to e City's color and excitement. The goal of e Fund is to contribute meaningfully to e presentation and enhancement of existing art forms while assuring e ability of oers to experiment, to dare, and to find new as yet untested ways of adding to our

5 cultural panorama. We look forward to a future full of challenges - and us, by definition, full of opportunities. For more information and current updates about Carnaval San Francisco, please visit ###

6 CALENDAR EDITORS PLEASE NOTE January 9, 2015 CONTACT Laura Gigounas Public Relations CARNAVAL SAN FRANCISCO 2015 ANNOUNCES 37 ANNUAL CELEBRATION, AGUA SAGRADA! CADA GOTA CUENTA! SACRED WATER! EVERY DROP COUNTS California s Largest Annual Multi-Cultural Celebration Brings Samba, Salsa, Soca, Cumbia and More to e Mission District Festival and Grand Parade To Take Place Memorial Day Weekend WHAT: Carnaval San Francisco The 37 Annual Celebration WHEN & WHERE: Carnaval Festival: Saturday, May 23 rough Sunday, May 24 (Memorial Day Weekend), 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Harrison Street between 16 and 24 Streets Carnaval Parade: Sunday, May 24, 9:30 a.m. Begins at Bryant & 24 Streets, proceeds down Mission to 17 Street ENTERTAINMENT: Local and visiting artists featuring Latin and Caribbean music and dance

7 TICKETS: Festival and Parade are FREE. Tickets for grandstand parade seating are available online at or at e King & Queen Competition, to be held March 28 at e Brava Theater. Parade seating is located on Mission Street between 21 and 22 Streets. st nd Tickets to e King & Queen Competition are also available online at Advance purchase is recommended. Space is limited and last year s event sold out. INFO: For current updates about Carnaval San Francisco, please visit ###

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