Mission Street hosts the San Francisco Lowrider Council's 45th anniversary parade Saturday, a celebration that brings more than 300 custom cars, a $10,000 hopping competition, and an art exhibit to a stretch of the Mission District where lowriders were once arrested simply for driving slowly down the block. The parade kicks off at 1 p.m. on Mission Street between Cesar Chavez and 17th streets, with a car show running from 2 to 8 p.m. between Cesar Chavez and 18th Street.
This year's parade carries extra weight because it marks 45 years since the council was born out of confrontation, not celebration. According to CBS News Bay Area, which is livestreaming the event on its stream and on KPIX+ (Channel 44), the day's schedule also includes the King of the Streets hopping competition at 24th and Mission streets from 3 to 5 p.m., where the winning car and driver will take home $10,000. A 45th anniversary lowrider art exhibit runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Mission Cultural Center alongside the parade.
A Civil Rights Fight Behind the Celebration
The San Francisco Lowrider Council was founded in 1981 by Roberto Hernandez to unite local car clubs into an organized advocacy group that challenged police harassment and fought for cruising rights, according to KQED. Hernandez himself reported being arrested 113 times and beaten more than once by police while cruising Mission Street before he filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city, per KJZZ. The council was formed amid police harassment and arrests involving lowriders cruising Mission Street, El Tecolote reports.
After a court victory, Hernandez found a vacant lot for legal car gatherings that became La Raza Park, according to El Tecolote. The site is now known as Potrero Del Sol.
Lowrider Hopping Competition
The hopping competition is a signature lowrider spectacle now drawing crowds to 24th and Mission streets every year.
Recent legislation has focused on lowriding, including Assembly Bill 436, according to Serviam Law.
State Recognition Arrives Days Before the Parade
The momentum has only accelerated. Lowriding is an enduring Chicano cultural legacy that emerged in Southern California's Mexican-American barrios during the 1940s. Then, just three days before this year's parade, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2541 on September 16, establishing a specialty lowrider license plate program, with proceeds directed toward lowrider arts, cultural preservation, and youth programs, according to the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. Hoodline previously reported on the bill's path through the legislature in its piece on the lowrider plate awaiting Newsom's signature.
For this year's anniversary, the council is hosting the parade. The 2026 parade and hopping competition are part of the anniversary celebration, reflecting how deeply the event is woven into the neighborhood's arts and merchant institutions.
Muni Riders Should Plan Ahead
The celebration comes with logistical impacts for anyone getting around the Mission on Saturday, with the parade route spanning Mission Street between 17th and Cesar Chavez streets.
The parade marks the council's 45th anniversary. Saturday's edition traces a 45-year arc from Hernandez's arrests on Mission Street to a governor's signature honoring the very cars that once got their drivers hauled off in cuffs.
