Chahrshanbeh Souri @ The Persian Center in Berkeley…read more NARRATIVE A few years ago before sleepover with Houman, Michelle and I pestered him about No Rooz and all the festivities that went along with the celebration of the Persian New Year. As members of a multi-culti friendship tribe we begin the New Years season on December 31st and then continue on through March until New Years has exhausted itself into Springtime. Houman mentioned fire jumping. I was intrigued and since I hadn't been to Burning Man in a few years, I was called to the fires! CONTACT INFORMATION The Persian Center 2029 Durant Avenue Berkeley, CA 94704 http://www.persiancenter.org/ Phone: (510) 848-0264 HOURS Tuesday before Vernal Equinox, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. PRICE RANGE Inexpensive. Traditional Persian cuisine is sold to support the event and the center. SUMMARY This Zorastrian custom dates back to 1300 B.C. It celebrates one of the last evenings of the year and is symbolized by fire so that people can see their way into the new year. Bonfires are lit because they are purifying and can light our way into the new year. In Berkeley Durant is lined with people of all ages talking, laughing, dancing, wishing greetings upon each other, doing the traditional Persian double-cheeked kisses hello and good-bye. Downtown Berkeley is a great venue for the event. Behind Barnes and Noble what is normally a quiet side-street is blocked off and filled with Persian music and flooded with lights. Two sets of bonfires are lit to keep the celebration moving. The DJ and MC are pounding out Persian favourites and new remixes. Parents jump with their young ones who look wary of going near the flames. Sweethearts jump in tandem. Frat boys try to outleap one another in side-by-side races. As the spring crisp air fills your lungs, you look up past the buildings into the deep blue night sky. The moon is lit and the stars begin to speckle the sky. All the while you're bundled in your coat, talking with your friends, and rehearsing the Persian phrase while waiting your turn to jump the bonfires: (Sorkhi-e to az man) Give me your beautiful red colour (Zardi-e man az to) And take back my sickly pallor! Houman wrote it down for us the first year we went. Last year he sent us a reminder and the group of us split between pronouncing it in English and pronouncing it in Persian. Afterwards we all met up at a Chinese restaurant to finish out the evening's festivities. More laughter, more stories. More good times. Don't let the year slip without celebrating another new beginning. Jump the fires on Tuesday night to ring in No Rooz! SERVICE Volunteers are very helpful with guiding newbies to the fire-jumping lines. The atmosphere is FESTIVE! Party down, Persian-stylie! REST ROOMS Port-o-potties by the fire-jumping area or local eateries and bars if you plan ahead. SUGGESTION? Pronunciation guides for the Persian-challenged.

We finally got to check out Chahar Shanbeh Souri to celebrate Persian New Year. I found out about…read moreit on chowhound last year and made sure to put it on my calendar for this year. It was Tues. 3/18/08. We took Bart to Downtown Berkeley and walked down about 3-4 blocks to Durant Ave. The place was crazy busy with DJ Aykut & DJ Dr. T spinning very loud music. There was a flyer saying 4 Shanbeh Soori After Party 9:30p-Close the DJs were going to be at Pasand Lounge, 2280 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley a 5 min. walk from the Persian Center. People line up around the Persian Center to buy food. There were Kabob sandwiches: chicken or beef wrapped like a burrito w/ rice inside & a small half tomato & water or soda for $10. Chicken was dry and boring to eat. You could also get a noodle soup for $5-very minty w/ a sauce another table had & even some sumac you could add or some chopped onions. Soup was ok, hubby liked it more. For dessert Golnazar Persian ice cream sandwiches were $3. It's Saffron ice cream w/ pistachio. Just ok w/ thin crispy wafer like cookie to sandwich the ice cream. Pre-packaged. They also had a 1-pint tub of Faloudeh for $3. It was frozen solid when A. tried to eat it, he had to wait about 15 min to finally try it, he finished it so it must have been ok. The best part was the jumping over the small fires. The line was Crazy long, but it moved fast, near the fires the line finally breaks into 2 lines and you can jump over 3 small flames. Almost anyone can jump over the fire..we did and it was FUN. Then we left, still Recommended at least once.

Came here for the 2014 Holi Festival of Colors…read more Parking: Free small lot on campus. They have tons of free parking across the street. http://www.yelp.com/events/norwalk-holi-festival-of-colors-2014 Lists more parking options. Cost: 5 dollars to enter. They have a pre-paid line with a list or you can just pay at the entrance. Colors: Bags of Colors $ 3.00 or 5 for $ 12.00. 5 colors are plenty. We had a group of 5 and brought only two packs. We each had two colors. 3 surgical type face masks for $1.50? They sold bandanas and shirts. Not sure of prices. Clothing: Wear something that you don't mind throwing away. Or, willing to let turn pink or some other color after a wash. They recommend to shake excess color. But, I ended up with a pink shirt. Photo booth: India.com provided complimentary pictures. I would recommend take a picture prior to getting any color thrown at you. Well, if you can avoid it. They also gave away white t-shirts. Not sure if you can avoid it getting color on it. Some people just put it on. They had portable restroom. I did not use. They had some food trucks. Long lines. Glad we ate before coming. They had hourly tossing of colors. So, it was pretty flexible. On, the way out, we got into the yoga line/circle. It was pretty fun. Overall, it was pretty fun. I would recommend.

I heard about Yellow Rose and that it would be shown at CAAMFest, which was originally known as the…read moreSan Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. It is the world's largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian film, food and music programs that occurs annually in May. This year is the 37th annual CAAMFest, which is hosted by CAAM, the Center for Asian American Media, with its mission to present stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. Yellow Rose was making its Bay Area debut at CAAMFest in the Kabuki Theater. The movie follows the story of Rose, played by Eva Noblezada, a 17 year old Filipina who dreams of becoming a country music singer. Her world is upended when her mom is arrested by ICE and deported. Rose must face life on her own and embarks on a journey that leads her to her aunt, played by Lea Salonga, and following her dreams. Director and Writer, Diane Paragas, was presented to the audience a background on the film. Lea and Eva taped an intro on the movie. When the movie ended Diane and the production team had a Q&A session. Thanks CAAM for hosting CAAMFest and showcasing fine works, such as Yellow Rose, and providing a launching point for Asian independent filmmakers and an outlet for Asian films.

Volunteering at CAAMFest was actually pretty awesome. Not a whole lot of work, flexible start/end…read moretimes, you get a voucher for any movie you'd like to see, and you also get to see the movie you are currently volunteering for (e.g. if you are at the box office, you get to go into the theatre and watch the entire movie after you take care of the ticket rush, AND you get a voucher for any other future movie you want to see!). Plus you get more exposure to how the festival is run etc. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys films.

This is an event that I go to every year with my family, and it's always packed, which is great for…read morethe businesses in Chinatown. There's always something to look at, whether it's the stalls or performances. Compared to the street fair for the Autumn Moon Festival, there are more vendors selling flowers, plants, and decorations. I went on Saturday, and I noticed that there were more food vendors (snacks and prepared food) compared to previous years. In addition, I loved the interactive arts and crafts this year! There were panda statues painted by local artists as well as a table where we could write down wishes for the new year and hang them up. Side notes: 1.) There are 2 every year: 1 at the beginning and 1 at the end of Chinese New year. 2.) Walking distance from Chinatown Station *Verdict: Always a fun event to go to, whether you celebrate Chinese New Year or not!

I visit this Chinese New Year Festival in Chinatown almost every year and just love taking photos…read moreof all the colorful and great items the vendors sell and to be exposed to the Chinese culture and customs.

This was my first Red Bull Flugtag and I had a blast!…read more The atmosphere was festive around McCovey Cove and I was blown away with how many people showed up for an event that involved building homemade aircraft with hopes that they could fly. I liked how they made use of the surrounding areas with spectators watching from At&t Park, Lefty O'Doul Bridge, and the At&t Park parking lot which was used as the hangar\food\entertainment area. Unfortunately, no records were broken this year. But I did see some very creative aircraft. Let's see, there was a shark, Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine, a flying Winnebago, hot sauce bottle with wings, a flying banana, and my personal favorite, an R. Kelly hang glider complete with "I Believe I Can Fly" music. The crashes were worth sticking around for though. It was all fun just to see how far some of these teams would go. Granted, a good majority of them were really meant for show and weren't obviously going to go far, but you'd never know that there'd be a chance that they'd take off and fly. The food area at the parking lot was really good. They had a good variety of food vendors and food trucks like Gerard's Paella, Seoul On Wheels, and Hapa SF. All of them were selling Red Bull of course. And there was a whole separate area that was created for the beer garden if you wanted to get your drink on while the event was going on. When the next Red Bull Flugtag comes around, I hope they do it again at McCovey Cove. It was really a fun event!

My first REDBULL FLUGTAG... NOSE DIVE INTO THE WATER!!! (4…read morestars) Several groups with their own flying device ready to take off. Each group, on a platform in the middle of McCovey Cove, 30 second routine, and then their hand-made "air" craft - usually they nose dive. Event opens at 11AM, starts at 1pm, and ends around 3:30PM. if you aren't there early, good luck trying to get a view. However, in the AT&T parking log there are massive screen tvs and food booths and porta-potties. Also half of the Lefty O'Doul Bridge is closed off for you to get a space and watch. BEST PART.... the AT&T stadium opens up. You can go near standing-room and watch. Or you can sit on the field or in the bottom-level seats and watch it on the big screen. Will I be back? Next yr my friends and I want to be actually participate in the event. JABA APPROVED... until the next review....

Oakland Dance Festival happened in Jack London Square on April 27-28, 2pm-8pm with various kinds of…read moredance represented from local dance clubs, dance studios, dance repertoires, cultural associations, traditional and modern sources, cultural societies, etc. situated in area between Scott's/Lungomare & Plank stage area where concrete area was. lots of seating in surrounding area. saw a few ancient indian dances. didn't stay as a breeze was circulating. didn't want to catch a cold so departed. a different event happens every weekend in jack london square.

2012 was the 1st year WinterSalt was held in San Francisco. Basically a 2 day music festival which…read morefeatured both hip-hop and electronic music acts but a bit heavier on the electronic side. It also featured artists who were drawing their art while the music played. The venue it was held at was Fort Mason Center. It was bit big for the amount of people who showed up, but I'd rather wind up with more room than being too crowded in a music festival environment. I went on the 2nd day which was a Saturday because the 2 acts I really wanted to see, DJ Shadow and Diplo. They sold tickets through a vendor called EventBrite which conveniently allowed me to have my ticket on my Android phone. I just showed that to the users at the entrance, they scanned it, and I was on my way. Later on I found out I was supposed to go through the VIP line in order for me to get a VIP bracelet to get into the VIP area. At Fort Mason venue, there were plenty of exit areas where you could go outside for a breather. They also had food trucks in the break areas if you were feeling hungry. They had a beer garden inside with overpriced drinks, but then again what music festival doesn't have over priced drinks? Beer garden wasn't too far away from the music stage so you could sit back and watch the show from there. I'd rather be in the crowd while enjoy a dj set however. While the music festival did have a rave feeling to it, at least there weren't too many candy kids there ruining the overall atmosphere. The security they hired was a pleasant surprised compared to some TSA like check-ins I've seen at other festivals. Looking forward to seeing what the lineup looks like for next year.

9/28/2024 Saturday: Today history was made for the…read morecommunity of Cambodia . SF Mayor Breed officially declared 9/28/ cambodia Day . 10:30am- 8:30 pm . Taking place in San Francisco historic Union Square shopping district. Inaugural Cambodia Day is a Free RSVP event , everyone is encouraged to RSVP at www. Cambodiaday.com Bring beach chairs / picnic blankets. Pets on leash are welcome Celebration of Cambodian Heritage, showcasing khmer culture through music and performance arts . Live performances from Cambodia and local USA Khmer artists are Special Performers: Khemarak Sereymun Dengue Fever Meas Soksophea Ban Monyleak Chan Makara Jay Chan Vanthan San Pisith & Black Spider Band Khmer Karen Cultural show Performers : Angkor Boran Warrior Sovann Maccha Heavenly Garden Spiral X Pailin Peacock Dance Robam Danvay Food vendors: Sitha's Khmer Kitchen, Angkor Chef, and Cambodian Street Food Special thanks to the executive team: Lyna Lam, Executive Producer/Founder Daron Ker, Producer/Co-Founder Dr. Kara Uy Has, Event Director Ryan Boun, Event Coordinator Cafe Du Nord, Production Team Union Square Alliance