Pharaohs Festival, a non-profit organization established in 2011, is hosting its annual event on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade today through Sunday.
The promenade between Santa Monica Boulevard and Arizona will be hosting the festival, which is free of charge and full of cultural music and food.
Festivities will be held from 4-10 pm today, and 10 am to 10 pm Saturday and Sunday.
The festival is a cultural event that aims to educate and entertain visitors by engaging the senses with food, music, and souvenir items from Egypt.
All proceeds go to the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Service Center, which serves the community through numerous activities such as feeding the homeless, serving at women’s shelters, and offering tutoring to students.
The service center caters to kids by hosting sports activities and group outings, while providing mental and emotional support.
Festival marketing director Karim Malek said the event welcomed thousands of visitors a day last year.
“We hope to attract even more visitors this year,” Malek said. “The more people are aware of the Pharaohs Festival, the greater the benefit will be to the greater Santa Monica community. The services offered by the Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Service Center ultimately provide responsible role models for today’s kids and give them the confidence to reach for their dreams.”
The Pharaohs Festival is a festival for the senses:
• Smell the aroma of BBQ carried miles away by Pacific Ocean breeze.
• Taste the delicious variety of fresh food.
• Listen to the best live Middle Eastern music.
• See hundreds of Pharonic items in the jewelry and the bazaar tents.
• Feel the touch of hena on your hand or threading on your skin.
Pharaoh’s Festival, Inc. is a 501(c) non-profit organization that serves the immediate community of Santa Monica by empowering today’s youth to help those less fortunate.
By partnering with the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Service Center, Pharaoh’s Festival organizes community activities that not only help those less fortunate in the community, but also teach today’s youth about the importance of commitment, teamwork, generosity, helping others, being selfless, having compassion and much more.
Community activities include feeding the homeless, volunteering at women’s and children’s shelters, tutoring students in elementary school through high school, visiting centers for terminally ill children, visiting patients at local hospitals, educating youth about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and promoting abstinence, and many other activities.
In between event outings, the Center opens its doors for basketball games to foster camaraderie, build friendships and keep kids healthy, active and out of trouble.
For more information, visit www.pharaohsfestival.com.
