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With its large Irish population, not to mention the 25 or so Irish pubs scattered around town, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the revelry that follows deep into the night is one of the city’s largest celebrations. The parade journeys from 5th and Market streets to the Embarcadero.

Japantown comes spectacularly to life when the cherry trees blossom. Traditional arts and crafts, taiko drumming, martial arts demonstrations, and dancing, as well as delicious Japanese food make this one of the city’s favorite celebrations. There’s also a colorful and impressive parade.

Commemorating the defeat of the French army at Puebla, Mexico, in 1862, by General Ignacio Zaragoza, this is one of the Latino community’s biggest annual festivals, featuring parades, fireworks, music, and dancing. In addition to the Civic Center, much of the fun happens in the Mission District.

Having nothing at all to do with Lent or any other traditional date, San Francisco’s Carnaval is staged at the time of year when the weather will most likely be at its best for the glittery event. Groups work all year long, with the help of municipal grants, to create their dazzling costumes and put together their infectiously rhythmic routines, all to a samba, rumba, or salsa beat.

More than 300,000 people attend this amazing gay event, the largest of its kind in the US, that takes over Market Street, from the Embarcadero to the Civic Center. It’s up to four hours of Dykes on Bikes, drag queens in nuns’ habits, leather-clad clones, gay parents, gay marching bands, muscle men, and much more. The floats – as well as the cheering throngs – are likely to be the most over-the-top, outlandish things you’ve ever witnessed.

This waterfront festival, held from Aquatic Park to Pier 39, involves live entertainment, food stalls, and state-of-the-art fireworks launched from several points along the Bayfront. If it’s foggy, the bursts of light seem that much more romantic.

A much loved San Franciscan tradition, this festival showcases every kind of music you can name (see Sigmund Stern Grove).

Just as outrageous as the title suggests, this indoor masquerade ball is reputedly the world’s largest.

This Castro party is a time for dress-up, dress-down, or undress, as the case may be; let your imagination run away with you as you join the gay fray.

This is the biggest Chinese New Year celebration outside Asia. It incorporates traditional displays, and, of course, the parade of dragons and performers that winds its gaudy way through Chinatown.