Watch: Hundreds of Lowriders Cruise Mission Street for Annual ‘King of the Streets’ Parade

Mission Street in San Francisco was even more colorful than usual on Saturday, Aug. 14 as hundreds of souped-up automobiles bopped, rocked and rolled between 23rd and 26th streets for a lowrider parade.

The day started with the ‘King of the Streets’ Lowrider Car Show and Hopping Contest at Cow Palace, complete with an area for attendees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and ended with a cool cruise down Mission Street.

After skipping last year’s event due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers chose to celebrate muscle cars and encourage spectators to get vaccinated this year.

“We really wanted to educate our community that you’ve got to get the vaccine,” Roberto Hernandez, founder of the San Francisco Lowrider Council, told CBS. 

Back on Mission Street, glittering cars with colors like sky blue and burnt sienna hopped or cruised on three wheels or slid low to the ground, showcasing customized hydraulic systems that can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Spectators set up chairs, barbecued on the sidewalk and danced to hip-hop and R&B songs blasting from an event DJ station at Mission and 24th Streets.

Video by Sophie Bearman.