Carnaval Flashback

Carnaval 2012...the party came and left!  If you were a part of it, you felt the heat from sweaty bodies in glitzy costumes, heard great live music and felt the rush of the excited crowd.  It was a outdoor party in HD.   The Carnaval Parade in San Francisco has always been a mix of the indigenous with the stylish splashed with color on the streets of the Mission District.   The Carnaval Festival is one big party with three stages on 17th, 20th and 22nd.  I was involved as entertainment coordinator for the two-day festival as well as the MC for the 17th Street stage.  It was a lot of work but was gratifying to see Ricardo Lemvo fire up an already acclerated crowd at the festival you helped to organize with other hard working folks.  There were no slouches in the lineups for the two days that featured Avance, Bayonics, Boca Do Rio, Manicato, Team Bahia, Afrolicious, Candelaria, Pa'l Bailador, Mestiza, the Cuban Cowboys, Borinquen, Native Elements, Fito Reinoso, Bang Data, DJ Quick & The DJ Project and others.  With incredible floor shows provided all weekend by the likes of the Aquarella Dancers, Ginga Brasil featuring Queen Ashley George, Fogo Na Roupa's dancing Carnaval army and Samba funketeers.  All one can say after a weekend of that...what a bachcanal!