It’s time again for the 19th Annual Santa Monica Festival on Saturday May 8 at Clover Park from 11 a.m. to 6p.m.
Admission is free and so is parking for cars and bikes. Anyone who bikes to the festival and uses the free bike valet will be entered into a drawing to win a new bike. Those who come to the fest by other means of transportation can fill out a survey in exchange for a raffle ticket.
At 11:30 a.m. the Festival will honor eight hometown heroes, selected by the Human Relations Council for their years of volunteer work.
Entertainment at the Festival, on two solar-powered stages, features Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca, Clarita and the Arte Flamenco Dance Theatre, Gaelic Gathering, The Living Sisters, The Elemental Strings, and the Santa Monica High School Jazz Combo, Movement and Nature, Rising Phoenix Morris, Ballroom Madness, Zumba, and emcees Boise Thomas and Joe Hernandez Kolski.
Other activities include the Living Library (people with great stories to tell who can be “checked out” like library books), the High Performance Playground, the Festival Photo Competition, crafts workshops, and vendors and food booths galore.
The Festival is also “zero waste” and a number of interactive exhibits and workshops in the “eco zone” will teach and inform festival-goers about living a greener lifestyle.
LYNNE BRONSTEIN
Mirror Contributing Writerlynne@smmirror.com