San Francisco Brings the Flavor of Latino Heritage Month to Neighborhood Corners

9 September 2025

San Francisco is preparing for a vibrant season as Latino Heritage Month, running from September 15 to October 15, brings neighborhoods alive with music, food, art, and community gatherings. The city’s Office of Economic & Workforce Development has partnered with cultural groups and small businesses to lift up Latino-owned storefronts and share cultural traditions during a month packed with events. One goal is to connect residents and visitors to the people behind the businesses, to celebrate legacy, identity, and economic contribution.

At the heart of the month’s programming is San Francisco’s first televised Lowrider Parade, set to roll through the Mission District in partnership with Cultura y Arte Nativa de Las Américas and the San Francisco Lowrider Council. Hundreds of elaborately painted lowriders will cruise, compete, and parade, while sidestreets fill with food, handmade merchandise, and a sense of old-school craftsmanship. The event will be broadcast live on CBS. It is expected to draw big crowds and to spotlight local businesses with storefronts and market stalls along the route.

For those who prefer walking their way through culture, the Excelsior District will host its first-ever Taco Tour on September 12. The tour offers either a self-guided adventure with taco passes or a more curated walk guided by local experts. The finale is an Excelsior Night Market, where live music and cultural performances partner with vibrant stalls and street-food vendors. The walk will highlight eateries such as Ay Caray #2, La Iguana Azul, El Farolito, Mama Mari’s Taqueria, Taqueria Vallarta, and El Gran Taco Loco.

Leading up to that, the Mission Lotería crew has organized Excelsior Taco Week from September 9 through September 12. Each day in Taco Week features something special, from salsa-making workshops to tortilla crafting at Mama Mari’s, game nights, and pop-ups at La Iguana Azul. These initiatives are designed not only to celebrate Latino culture but to funnel much-needed attention and foot traffic toward small business owners whose shops are often passed by in bigger city narratives.

Food and festivity are only part of the story. San Francisco’s Latino Heritage Month includes performances, arts, and cultural gatherings too. Scheduled events include El Grito at Civic Center Plaza on September 15, marking Mexican Independence Day, as well as an Afro-Latinx concert with pianist Chuchito Valdés on October 4. There are public programs with the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, among others, that bring live music, visual arts, storytelling, traditional workshops, and gatherings together.

Supporting local businesses is woven throughout every event. The city has created an online portal at sf.gov/latino-heritage-month with a curated list of Latino-owned businesses, event information, participating merchants, and guides to shopping and dining areas. There is also a “Shop Dine SF” map to help people locate participating merchants in neighborhoods like the Mission and Excelsior. City leaders are encouraging residents to eat, visit, and spend locally an economic boost for small businesses that are often overlooked.

Mayor Daniel Lurie has spoken of Latino Heritage Month as a powerful reminder of San Francisco’s roots. He said Latino-owned businesses many founded by immigrants bring hustle, authenticity, culture, and resilience to the city. Anne Taupier, the Director of OEWD, echoed the importance of events rooted in neighborhood identity, saying that the celebration is also a chance to invest in people, culture, and artists who often carry forward tradition, language, and pride.

The week of events showcases how culture and commerce can intersect with care. They offer workshops, performances, pop-ups, games, food tours, and parades not just for celebration, but for connection. They invite people to share, to discover, to support. For many Latino business owners this month will bring a spotlight that is long overdue. For neighborhoods like the Mission and Excelsior this is a chance to celebrate local character, resiliency, and creativity. In these streets, culture is never an abstraction it is the voice of every storefront, taco stand, and family-run theater.

As San Francisco steps into this month, the message is clear: culture and heritage matter, entrepreneurship matters, and community matters. Latino Heritage Month is casting a glow on tradition but also lighting a path forward for equity, recognition, and lasting support for those who build city life day by day.