The San Francisco Italian Heritage Parade steps off at 12:30pm on Sunday, October 11, 2026, from the foot of Jefferson and Powell Streets at Fisherman’s Wharf, runs south along Columbus Avenue through North Beach, and ends at Washington Square in front of Saints Peter and Paul Church. Watching is free along the whole route.
What to Expect
The parade is organized by the San Francisco Italian Heritage Festival and Parade, which describes it as a celebration of Italian-American culture with floats, marching bands, community groups and performers. Admission to the parade and to the Bank of America Concorso Italiano car show that accompanies it is free, according to the organizer’s parade page.
The 2026 grand marshal is the actor Joe Mantegna. Bernie Orsi is the civic grand marshal.
Several North Beach restaurants on Columbus Avenue seat guests on the street for the parade, among them Original Joe’s, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, Piazza Pellegrini, the Italian Homemade Company, North Beach Restaurant and Steps of Rome. The organizer lists them with phone numbers; call ahead if you want a table on the route.
The parade lands on the second Sunday of Fleet Week, which runs October 4 to 12 with the air show October 9 to 11, so the northern waterfront will be busy all weekend.
Details
When: Sunday, October 11, 2026, 12:30pm start. Where: Jefferson and Powell Streets, Fisherman’s Wharf, south on Columbus Avenue to Washington Square, North Beach.
Cost: Free. Getting there: Columbus Avenue closes for the parade, so plan on transit. The F Market streetcar runs along Jefferson Street to the start. The 30 Stockton and 45 Union/Stockton stop within two blocks of Washington Square, and the 8 Bayshore runs on Kearny Street on the east edge of North Beach. Parking in North Beach and at the Wharf is hard on any Sunday and harder on this one.
For more on the neighborhood, see our North Beach guide.
Photo: Carnaval.com Studios, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
