The Xiuhcoatl Danza Azteca group performed a blessing in the intersection of 24th Street and Bryant Street in the minutes just before the parade's start. Using smoke, dance, and chants they performed a ritual for the good fortune of the parade and its participants.

The kids of the Buena Vista Elementary School rode the back of a flat bed truck and played drums. Each wore a hat with a clock on the crown the hands of which pointed to K8.

A highly energetically charged group of teens and kids came tumbling and dancing down the street. Mock fights were held using dance kicks.

Luigi Francisco Seal rode on the back of a small pickup truck and held up the San Francisco Giants World Series trophy for all to see.

The pirates from the Pirates of Emerson dressed in great costumes and makeup designed to frighten children and make strong men shake. Here was the captain glaring with evil intent at the folks lining the sidewalk.

Rueda Con Ritmo performed a complex Cuban-Style Salsa dance under flowers strung between poles. That decorated floral frame was carried down the street keeping the dances constantly framed.

The kids from the Nueva School rode on the back of a huge truck that could barely make the turn onto 24th Street. One of the kid's parents was dressed as a large butterfly.

The kids from the Nueva School walked beside the huge truck carrying large green umbrellas. The theme this year appeared to be nature.

The folks from the African Outlet dressed as in old African scenes from films. Here fire carried in a small cauldron presented a somber mood during an otherwise happy celebration.

Kids from the African Outlet rode on the back of a truck dressed in festive African costumes. Here a young girl dressed in purple waved to the sidewalk audience.

The former garbage company remodeled as Recology, Waste Zero, performed with their usual dancing garbage cans. The dancing garbage men were followed by an old garbage truck spewing bubbles.

Adriana Sanchez Colombian Soul performed a classic Central American dance while wearing richly embroidered Spanish style costumes.

San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) employees gave a band performance atop a truck that followed a fake cable car. Kids riding the cable car tossed necklaces to the sidewalk audience.

The dancers from the Tradición Peruana, Cultural Center, swirled and danced in full cotton skirts.

The Sistas-Wit-Style dance group from Oakland featured adults and kids dressed in African style outfits who performed choreographed routines.

A strong man carried a huge decorative backdrop for the dancers. Although in the style of rags, the backdrop was stunningly dramatic.

The dancers from Bissap Baobab and Baobab Village brought their bollywood-style dance to the streets that morning.

The group called Samba Hip Hop performed followed by their rhythmic marching band. Drums and other instruments created a great dance rhythm as they swayed and played down the street.

Xelaju were named after a Guatemalan professional football club competing in the Liga Nacional, the country's top footballing division. Here they marched in costume and played drums.

Fogo Na Roupa, in previous years, performed a martial arts form of dance. This year they opted for a more traditional form of performance.

The marching band with Fogo Na Roupa was dressed in an African look. The men wore grass skirts, and even one drum wore a grass skirt too.

Samba Funk, subtitled Carnival Explosion w/King Theo, featured feathered dancers wearing elaborate feathered head-pieces but minimal costumes.

Aguas Da Bahia was founded in San Francisco in 1999 by Bahia native Tãnia Santiago, the company's artistic director. The group is known for revealing and preserving the deep roots of Afro Brazilian traditions in Brazil's northeastern states.

Aguas Da Bahia was founded in San Francisco in 1999 by Bahia native Tãnia Santiago, the company's artistic director. The group is known for revealing and preserving the deep roots of Afro Brazilian traditions in Brazil's northeastern states.

The little BART car with a face that is so common in Bay Area parades was decked out in feathers and fruit in keeping with the Carnival theme.

The Hot Pink Feathers folk performed in, what else, hot pink feathers. The older group performed with large feather fans, while the younger group performed using small feather fans.

Jatun Marka Bolivia performed in traditional Bolivian costumes. The marched and danced and played hand pipes.

Latin American Workout is a Samba school run by Jaime Martinez located in San Francisco. Students and instructors from his school performed the Samba while wearing elaborate feathered costumes.

This year saw the first of youngsters starting to walk on stilts. Here the stilts were shorter than the adult stilts but still caused them to tower over their parents.

Some floats tossed individual pieces of candy, while other floats tossed individual necklaces. The Mas Makers Massive float tossed and handed out huge handfuls of candy.

The truck with tossed handfuls of candy was followed by many women dancing in elaborately feathered outfits. A wind had just come up and a few of the women had to hold their head-pieces to keep them from blowing off.

Jawani Ke performed Bollywood-style dance with great gusto. A strong wind had just come up which caused their costumes to flutter.