2026 Festival Food Vendor Application

Important Deadlines:

• Holiday Pricing Ends: Wednesday, December 31, 2025
• Early Bird Pricing Ends: Sunday, February 1, 2026
• Application Closes: Sunday, March 1, 2026

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the 48th Annual Carnaval San Francisco Festival to be held on Saturday, May 23 - 24, 2026 along Harrison Street, between 16th & 24th Streets in the heart of the Mission.  

Carnaval San Francisco is a celebration of  music, dance, artistry, food, arts and crafts showcasing Latin and Caribbean culture. With annual attendance of well over 500,000, this two-day outdoor cultural festival and Grand Parade is the largest multi-cultural celebration on the West Coast. The festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. The parade starts on Sunday at 10:00 am. It is a classic event providing many levels of participation for residents, community service groups, sponsors, and Food Vendors.

If you have any questions or comments, give us a call at Carnaval San Francisco,  Rosine Garcia (650) 333-7628 or email vendor@carnavalsf.org

Image Information:

Photographer: Pankaj Bhargava

Permitted and Prohibited Sales

• Beverages: Food vendors may sell soda and juice. However, the sale of packaged water and alcoholic beverages is strictly prohibited. Violating this policy may result in immediate removal from the festival and disqualification from future CANA and Carnaval San Francisco events.
• Food Sales Only: Vendors may sell only the food items approved in their application. Substitutions, additions, or changes to the approved menu are not permitted without prior approval. Any deviation may result in removal from the festival without refund.

Cleaning and Greening Deposit

A $400 “cleaning and greening” deposit is required with your application. The deposit will be refunded if all of the following conditions are met:

• Cleanliness: All trash must be disposed of in the nearest appropriate dumpster or bin. Festival staff will inspect booths throughout both days and again at closing each day.
• Grease and Water Management: Grease traps must be clean, and gray water must be disposed of in designated containers provided in each food vendor section. Dumping grease or water into drains is strictly prohibited.
• Garbage Cans: Vendors must provide two (2) garbage cans in front of their booth and two (2) in the cooking area. Vendors are responsible for monitoring and emptying these as necessary during the event.
• Health & Fire Safety Compliance: Vendors must comply with all SFDPH and SFFD regulations during inspections and throughout the event. Failure to meet public health or fire safety requirements will result in forfeiture of the deposit and may impact eligibility for future events.
• Zero Waste Compliance: Vendors must follow Carnaval San Francisco’s Zero Waste Guidelines, including the exclusive use of fiber-based or compostable products as required by the City and County of San Francisco. Styrofoam, non-compostable containers, and single-use plastics are not permitted.

Failure to meet these requirements will result in the forfeiture of your deposit and may impact your eligibility to participate in future CANA and Carnaval San Francisco events.

Street Protection & Mandatory Fencing Fee

To ensure public safety, all food vendors are required to have protective fencing around their designated cooking area. This barrier prevents attendees from accessing hot equipment and reduces the risk of accidents.

• Provided by Carnaval San Francisco: The festival will supply and install approved fencing for each food vendor.
• Mandatory Fee: A separate fencing fee will be charged to cover the cost of providing and installing this protection. This fee is non-refundable and is a condition of participation.
• Enforcement: Vendors will not be allowed to operate without the fencing in place.

Striving for Zero Waste

Carnaval San Francisco, in partnership with the City and County of San Francisco, is committed to achieving Zero Waste. In San Francisco, more than half of what goes into landfill bins can be recycled or composted. Carnaval San Francisco continues to promote best practices, including reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting, and all food vendors are expected to comply.

City Requirements

• Food vendors and restaurants in San Francisco must use compostable or recyclable to-go containers.

• Polystyrene foam (Styrofoam™) disposable food service ware is prohibited for food prepared or served in San Francisco.

Festival Requirements

At a minimum, food vendors must:

• Prohibited Materials: Do not use Styrofoam, #6 PS cups, aluminum foil, plastic bags, or any non-compostable containers.
• Compostable Service Ware: Use only certified compostable utensils, plates, and containers. Avoid products labeled “biodegradable,” as these are not compostable.
• Serving Materials: Serve food on fiber-based plates or compostable containers. Plastic and Styrofoam clamshells are strictly prohibited.

Vendors who fail to meet these standards, or any additional requirements outlined in Carnaval San Francisco’s Zero Waste Handbook, risk forfeiture of their cleaning deposit and may incur additional cleaning fees. Continued non-compliance may also affect eligibility for future CANA and Carnaval San Francisco events.

Health Department

Please prepare for the Health Department inspection by 8:30 am. To prevent violations during the inspections comply with the following warnings:

• Proper amount of ice to store food prior to cooking
• Proper heat maintenance of cooked food
• Proper sanitary upkeep of cooking area
• Proper hand washing facility, including towels, soap and utensil wash station, per SFDPH regulations
• Do not place generators, grills, fryers, boxes, storage chests, etc. on the sidewalk
• Protect festival attendees from hot items

For more information see below:

San Francisco Health Department | www.sfdph.org

San Francisco Fire Department | www.sf-fire.org

Booth Space Set-Up

• Rental Space Provided: Each food vendor is provided with a 10’ x 10’ or 10’ x 20’ booth space, which includes a 10’ x 10’ grilling area. If additional space is required, vendors must contact Carnaval San Francisco in advance to request approval.

• Site Access: Food vendors will be allowed on site beginning at 6:30 am on Saturday morning, prior to non-food vendor arrival.

• Unloading: Vendors must unload supplies promptly and move vehicles out of the festival area by 8:00 am.

• Pre-Event Inspections: After 8:00 am, the site must be cleared and ready for Health Department and Fire Department inspections at 8:30 am.

Booth Space Breakdown

• End of Sales: All food vendors must stop sales by 5:30 pm on both Saturday and Sunday, 30 minutes prior to the official close of the Festival.
• Vehicle Access: No vehicles will be allowed into the festival site until 7:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday evening. This is to ensure the safety of attendees and allow adequate time for pedestrian traffic to clear.
• Sunday Breakdown: Vendors may re-enter the festival site on Saturday and Sunday at 7:00 pm using their vendor pass and the designated point of entry.
• Clean-Up: Vendors are responsible for removing all belongings and thoroughly cleaning their assigned space before leaving. Failure to clean properly may result in forfeiture of the cleaning and greening deposit and impact eligibility for future events.

Water and Ice

Carnaval San Francisco does not provide water and ice. Each vendor must provide appropriate amounts of water and ice for their space(s). 

Power and Electricity

Carnaval San Francisco does not provide power. Vendors must arrange their own electricity if needed.

Insurance Requirements

All food vendors must carry general liability insurance that includes coverage for bodily injury and property damage, with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. This is required due to the use of cooking equipment, open flames, hot oil, and other risks associated with food preparation.

• A Certificate of Insurance (COI) must be provided, naming CANA - Carnaval San Francisco as an additional insured.
• Proof of insurance must be submitted no later than 45 days prior to the event.
• Vendors who fail to provide valid proof of insurance by the deadline will not be permitted to set up or participate, and no refund will be issued.
• If you do not currently have coverage, single-day event insurance policies are available through third-party providers. Vendors are responsible for securing and paying for this coverage.

Behavior and Professional Conduct

To ensure a positive and safe experience for all festival participants, exhibitors and vendors are expected to maintain a professional, respectful demeanor throughout the event. This includes a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol consumption at vendor booths. All exhibitors and vendors must adhere to the guidance of Festival Coordinators without dispute. Yelling, arguing, or disruptive behavior towards attendees, fellow vendors, staff, or volunteers will not be tolerated and may result in immediate removal from the event without refund. Cooperation with event procedures and maintaining a welcoming, professional environment is essential to the success of Carnaval San Francisco.

Refund Policy

Food vendors may withdraw from the Festival up until February 1, 2026 and receive either a 50% refund of fees. After February 1, 2026, participation fees are non-refundable, as all funds are committed to the production, promotion, marketing, and advertising of the Festival. All refund requests must be made in writing, state the reason for withdrawal, and be submitted via email or Eventeny to our office.

Cancellation of Event

If weather, pandemics, acts of God, or other circumstances beyond the control of Carnaval San Francisco causes the event to be canceled, participation fees will NOT be returned. Carnaval San Francisco cannot be held liable by Vendors for the failure of the event to take place.

FOOD VENDOR RELEASE & HOLD HARMLESS AGREEMENT

This agreement is entered into by and between Carnaval San Francisco (Producer) and CANA (Agent) and the Food Vendor filling out, signing, and returning the application and all people working on behalf of the Food Vendor. 

Producer is in the business of providing space at the Carnaval San Francisco event for the display and sale of arts and crafts, government, small business/retail and non-profit causes and the sale of food.

Producer does not participate in the construction, assembly, or placement of the individual Food Vendor’s stall.

The Food Vendor, and all people working on behalf of the Food Vendor, hereby indemnifies and holds the Producer, agents, employees; servants and the Client, its agents, employees, and servants harmless from any and all claims, including costs and attorney's fees resulting there from, arising out of said Food Vendor’s participation in this event. For the purpose of this agreement, the term "participation" shall include, but not be limited to, the delivery of equipment, merchandise, structures and product to their designated location, the set-up and display of any such structure and the dismantling and removal of all such items from the area provided by or through the Producer or its agents, employees and servants or the Client or its agents, employees and servants. Also- the sale and consumption of any food during the event.

The Food Vendor hereby expressly assumes any risk of harm to the Food Vendor and anyone working on behalf of Food Vendor and arising out of their participation and the participation of other artists at Carnaval San Francisco, including any risk resulting from the particular location of the space designated to them by the Fiscal Producer (Carnaval San Francisco).

This agreement shall be effective immediately upon execution and shall continue in effect throughout the event period.