Los Van Van Will Lead the Celebration of the 2023 San Francisco Carnival

May 4, 2023

The legendary Cuban group Los Van Van will lead the celebration of the San Francisco Carnival, which will take place on May 27-28 in the California city, organizers reported this Tuesday.

With the theme "45 years of music and movement," the festival will present free of charge two days of music, dance, cuisine and crafts in the Latino Cultural District Calle 24 of San Francisco.

In a statement, the organizers said that in this edition they will "pay tribute to the artists who have shaped our multicultural and multigenerational celebration."

The carnival begins with the Grand Parade, which includes representations of the cultures of Brazil, Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Guatemala, Chile and Haiti, among other countries, as well as West Africa.

Rodrigo Durán, executive director of the San Francisco Carnival, said that "from the beginning, the sounds of salsa, samba, soca, mariachi, merengue, cumbia and reggae music paved the way for the carnival to prosper, and now modern sounds have joined the mix, resonating with the younger generation."

Founded in December 1969 by bassist, composer, arranger, director, singer and producer Juan Formell (1942-2014), the Los Van Van ensemble is a reference point in Cuban music that became the first dance orchestra of the Island.

Now, under the direction of Samuel Formell, son of Juan, Los Van Van have continued to evolve and adapt with the passage of time while maintaining the rhythm that characterizes them and remaining in the taste of the public, which is why they were chosen to lead the celebration.

Along with Los Van Van, La Sonora Dinamita will perform, a group that originated in Colombia that, along with singer Vilma Díaz, will bring the touch of cumbia to the carnival.