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Summer 2004 Festivals Gay Pride June 12-13 Discovery Meadow, San Jose 408.278.5563; www.sjgaypride.com As gay marriage grows in acceptance, are newly nesting couples going to pass on the event and watch the parade on TV? Don't count on it. The San Jose Gay Pride Festival is split up into two days. Saturday is a community day in the park with family activities, pickup volleyball, bingo, local entertainers and DJs. On Sunday, a colorful parade kicks off activities at 10:30am before the festival begins proper with food booths, arts and crafts, informational booths and live performances (previous entertainers have included Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett, Crystal Waters, CeCe Peniston, Margaret Cho, Pansy Division, the Cheeseballs, Orchestra de Soul, Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus and every disco diva there ever was). There's also a Country & Western dance floor, a ProLatino cultural garden, a Leather Alley and the ever-popular Watergarden Dance Tent. Todd Inoue America Festival July 3-4 Discovery Meadow, San Jose 408.284.2100, ext. 444; www.americafestival.com In the South Bay, it's no big thing to see a taqueria, Korean grocery store and Indian restaurant in the same minimall, or a ramen house, Indian spice store and Thai restaurant sharing parking space. The South Bay is blessed with a diversity that other counties envy. The San Jose America Festival celebrates the many local cultures through music, entertainment and activities. Produced as a benefit for the Emergency Housing Consortium [EHC], this event traditionally raises funds to support their programs designed to end homelessness. The America Festival takes place every year for the Fourth of July holiday in downtown San Jose, and attracts as many as 200,000 for the event that features the City of San Jose's official fireworks show. There are three stages of musical entertainment and cultural performances, great ethnic foods, arts and crafts, and loads of information and activities for people of all ages and backgrounds. The festival takes place from 11am to 10pm on July 4 and is preceded by the Day on the Meadow/Concert on July 3, noon-10pm with headliners Camper Van Beethoven and Switchfoot. The festival site is always at Guadalupe River Park's Discovery Meadow, which is accessible via public transportation, Highways 280, 680, 101 and 87 or CalTrain. The Concert for the Homeless attracts acts like Smash Mouth, Luckydog, Dana Glover, Chantal Kreviazuk, Josh Kelley and Tiana Noyes. Todd Inoue San Jose Jazz Festival Aug. 5-8 Cesar Chavez Park and other downtown San Jose venues www.sanjosejazz.org Every August, in the middle of the dog days of summer, the San Jose Jazz Festival takes over downtown San Jose. If there's a stage open, a rhythm outfit will be working it hard. The annual festivities, which are free except for an opening fundraiser, draw tens of thousands of fans to the area. The festival's focus is on Cesar Chavez Park and the main stage, where big-name acts dominate on Saturday and Sunday. This year's lineup features Ray Barretto, Terence Blanchard, James Moody, Dena Derose and the irrepressible Pete Escovedo (pictured), who's well on his way to owning this town now that he's announced plans to take over the spy nightclub and create an upscale club of his own. But the event, sponsored by the San Jose Jazz Society, doesn't stop there. Bands of all stripes and flavors will play on a total of seven stages during the extended weekend, a schedule that adds up to about 50 no-charge concerts. Michael S. Gant Summer 2004 Guide Concert Highlights Concert List Stage Festivals Movies May St. Joseph Parish Festival A family event with rides and entertainment. May 21, 5-10pm; May 22, 11am-10pm; May 23, noon-7pm; free. 1120 Miramonte Ave, Mountain View. 650.967.1839. St. John Vianney Fiesta A community events with games, rides and live entertainment. May 21-23. 4601 Hyland Ave, San Jose. 408.258.6152. KFOG Kaboom! Some early fireworks plus music and kids events. May 22, 4-10pm; free. Piers 30-32, San Francisco. 415.817.5364. Street Rod & Classic Car Show Annual display of American automotive engineering from the days of cheap gas benefits book scholarship at City College. May 22, 9am-3pm. 408.288.3788. Russian-American Fair With music, food and circus performers. May 23, 10am-5pm; $3/$5. Terman Middle School, 655 Arastradero Rd, Palo Alto. 650.852.3509. Watsonville Fly-In Annual festival of antique flying machines, aerial tricks and fireworks. May 28, noon-10pm; May 29-30, 9am-5pm; $5/$10. Watsonville Airport, 100 Aviation Way, Watsonville. 831.763.5600. Air Expo The Thunderbirds perform aerial stunts. There will also be space exploration displays from Ames Research. May 29-30, 9am-5pm; $15/$20. Moffett Field, Mountain View. 800.367.5833. Boulder Creek Art and Wine Festival Annual edition of popular festival. Live music by popular local bands, plus kids events. May 29-31, 11am-6pm; free. Downtown Boulder Creek. 831.338.2578. Civil War Days Re-enactment of battles. May 29-31, 10am-4pm; $5-$8. Ardenwood Farm, 34600 Ardenwood Blvd, Fremont. 510.796.0663. Civil War Re-enactment History buffs relive the past twice a day (11am and 3pm). May 29-31, 10am-4:340pm; $6 with parking. Roaring Camp, Graham Hill Rd, Felton. 831.335.4484. Mushroom Mardi Gras Food, fun, music and crafts. May 29-30, 10am-6pm; $5/$10. Community Park, West Edmundson Avenue and Monterey Road, Morgan Hill. 408.778.1786. Native American Pow-Wow Native Americans gather to show arts and crafts. May 29-31, 10am-6pm; free. Casa de Fruta, 6680 Pacheco Pass Hwy, Hollister. 408.842.9316. June Greek Festival Culture and food of Greece, plus musical performances. Jun 4, 5-10pm; Jun 5, 11am-10pm; Jun 6, 11am-9pm; $3/$5 (children under 12 free). St. Nicholas Church, 1260 Davis St, San Jose. 408.246.2770. Vintner's Festival This art, food and wine event will be located at a number of wineries and restaurants throughout Santa Cruz County. Jun 5-6 east side of Santa Cruz Mountains; Jun 12-13 west side of Santa Cruz Mountains; 11am-5pm; $20. 831.479.WINE. Sunnyvale Art and Wine Festival With multiple food and crafts booths. Jun 5-6; 10am-6pm; free. Town & Country, Sunnyvale. 408.763.4971. Nativity Carnival Music, eats and rides in a carnival setting. Jun 11, 5-11pm; Jun 12, noon-11pm; Jun 13, noon-7pm; free. Nativity School, Oak Grove and Laurel streets, Menlo Park. 650.323.7914. Santa Cruz Summerfest A parade plus arts and crafts booths, food and children's games and world music. Jun 12, 10am-6pm; free. San Lorenzo Park, Santa Cruz. 831.425.1234. Sunnyvale Cherry Festival With many sweet treats, plus kids' activities. Jun 12-13; 10am-5pm; free. West El Camino Real and Mathilda streets, Sunnyvale. 408.736.3726. Gay Pride Parade San Jose presents its Gay Pride Festival and Silicon Valley's Gay Pride Parade. Jun 12-13; downtown San Jose. www.sjgaypride.com. Burlingame's Art in the Park Arts and craftspeople combined with food and music. Jun 12-13, 10am-5pm; free. Washington Park, 850 Burlingame Ave, Burlingame. 650.558.7300. Civil War Re-enactment Relive the War Between the States. Jun 12-13, 9am-6pm. Casa de Fruta, 6680 Pacheco Pass Hwy, Hollister. 408.842.7282. Celtic Festival Featuring Claude the Dragon, Black Irish Band, Magrath Irish dancers, ethnic food and vendors. Jun 12, 10am-5pm; $5-$8.50. Ardenwood Historic Farm, 34600 Ardenwood Blvd, Fremont. 510.796.0663. Mountain Art Guild Art and Wine Festival Join the Santa Cruz artists for a weekend of wine, food, art and music. Jun 12, 10am-6pm; Jun 13, 10am-5pm; Radonich Ranch, Santa Cruz. 408.353.1325. Portugal Day Festival Portuguese and Brazilian dance shows, live music, ethnic food, book fair and art show. Jun 13, 10am-6pm. History Park, 1650 Senter Rd, San Jose. Juneteenth Gilroy With music and food, including a chili cook. Jun 17, 6-10pm; Jun 18, 1-8pm. Downtown Gilroy. 408.848.1225. Juneteenth San Jose Celebration of African American history and emancipation of slaves. Jun 19-20, noon-7pm; free. Cesar Chavez Park, downtown San Jose. 408.292.3157. Willow Glen's Dancing on the Avenue Dance the evening away. Joe Sharino leads the way. Jun 19, 5-10pm; free. Lincoln Avenue between Minnesota and Willow streets, Willow Glen. 408.298.2100. Hats Off to Dad Steam engine rides and model railroad exhibits. Jun 20, 11am-4pm; reservations recommended. Roaring Camp, Felton. 831.335.4484. Vintage Vehicles and Family Festival The Museum of American History sponsors a display of unusual classic cars, bicycles and motorcycles. Jun 20, 1am-4pm; $10/$15. Addison School, Addison and Middlefield roads, Palo Alto. 650.321.1004. Campbell Highland Games A Celtic celebration with caber toss, stone put and more, plus bagpipe music. Jun 26, 9am-5pm; $8/$12. Campbell Community Center, Campbell Avenue and Winchester Boulevard, Campbell. 408.219.9264. Surf City Classic A chance to view restored classic Woodies. Jun 26, 10am-4pm; free. Santa Cruz Wharf. 831.420.5273. July Day on the Meadow Warmup for American Festival. Jul 3. Downtown San Jose. Paramount's Great America Fireworks Sky show free with admission. Jul 3. Great America Parkway, Santa Clara. 408.988.1776. Tahiti Fete Cultural programs devoted to Tahitian and Polynesian dance and culture. Jul 3-5. San Jose State University Event Center. www.tahitifete.com/SJ/index.htm. All City Picnic and Fireworks With a pancake breakfast for early arrivals, followed by live music with Swing Solution (12:30pm) and Big Bang Beat (3pm), and a petting zoo and events for kids. Jul 4, 10:30am-5pm; free. Central Park, 909 Kiely Blvd, Santa Clara. 408.615.3140. America Festival Celebrate the diverse cultures that make up San Jose through music, entertainment and activities--not to mention fireworks. And a Concert for the Homeless. Produced as a benefit for the Emergency Housing Consortium. Jul 4, 11am-10pm; free. Guadalupe River Park, San Jose. 408.294.2100. Church on the Hill Fireworks A pyrotechnic display, food, entertainment and kids show. Jul 4, 4pm; free. 500 Sands Dr, San Jose. 408.265.9000. Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular With music by the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Randall Fleischer and with guest soloist Jodi Benson. Jul 4, 8pm; $15.50-$28.50. Shoreline Amphitheatre. 408.998.TIXS. Half Moon Bay Fourth of July With a parade, lots of food and fireworks. Jul 4, all day. Downtown Half Moon Bay. 650.726.8380. Independence Day at Ardenwood Featuring patriotic music, games, races, egg toss and steam engine. Jul 4, 10am-4pm; $5/$8.50. Ardenwood Historic Farm, 34600 Ardenwood Blvd, Fremont. 510.796.0663. Morgan Hill Independence Day With a parade, street dance and family festival and fireworks. Jul 4. Parade starts at 11:30am; fireworks at dusk. Downtown Morgan Hill. www.mhidi.com. Symphony Silicon Valley's Independence Weekend On Jul 3 at 6:30pm, guest conductor Theo Alcantara leads the orchestra in a program of popular tunes; harmonica virtuoso Bonfiglio is the guest artist. $10/$25. Lake Vasona Park, Los Gatos. On Jul 4 at 7pm, the program will be repeated at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Half Moon Bay. $35. 408.286.2600, ext 2. Summer Festival and Chili Cook-Off Culinary teams compete for prizes, plus live music. Jul 4 noon-5pm; free. Mitchell Park, 600 E. Meadow Dr, Palo Alto. 650.463.4921. Los Altos Art and Wine Festival With crafts, arts, music and food booths. Jul 10-11, 10am-6pm; free. Main and State streets, Los Altos. 650.949.5282. Obon Festival Food, dancers and music. The largest Japantown cultural happening. Jul 10-11, 12:30-9pm; free. Buddhist Church Betsuin, 640 N. Fifth St, San Jose. 408.293.9292. Mariachi Festival San Jose's Mariachi Festival celebrates music, food, exhibits and education with full schedule of concerts and workshops. Jul 14-18; call for ticket info. Mexican Heritage Plaza, San Jose. 1.800.MHC.VIVA. Art on the Wharf Local artists display works in many media, plus food, wine and music. Jul 17-18, 9:30am-5:30pm; free. Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf. 831.420.5273. Connoisseur's Marketplace A fine-crafts festival, plus a wide variety of food treats and even kids' events. Jul 17-18, 10am-6pm; free. Santa Cruz Ave, Menlo Park. 650.325.2818. Chinese Festival With cooking displays, acrobatics and ethnic dancing. Jul 18, 10am-5pm. History Park at Kelley Park, 1650 Senter Rd, San Jose. 408.521.5110. Garlic Festival Gilroy celebrates 25 years of the stinking rose. Lots of food and plenty of live music. Jul 23-25, 10am-7pm; $5/$10; Miller Avenue and Santa Teresa Boulevard, Gilroy. 408.842.1625. Wharf-to-Wharf Race A Santa Cruz 6-mile tradition. Jul 25, 8:30am. Starts at Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz. 831.475.2196. Fremont Festival of the Arts With arts and crafts booths, live music, firefighters' combat challenge, food and wine and a kids' zone. Jul 31-Aug 1, 10am-6pm. Mowry and Walnut, Fremont. www.fremontfestival.net. August Santa Clara County Fair Three days of entertainment, exhibits and rides. Aug 6-8; 11am-11pm; free. Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, 344 Tully Rd, San Jose. 408.494.3166. Antique and Collectible Flea Market Vintage treasures for sale. Aug 8. Downtown San Juan Bautista. Musical Saw Festival A chance to hear a traditional folk instrument in concert. Aug 8, 11am-4pm; free. Roaring Camp Railroads, Felton. 831.335.4484. San Mateo County Fair Exhibits, animals, rides and entertainment. Aug 13-22, $7/$9; San Mateo County Expo Center, 2495 Delaware St, San Mateo. 650.574.3247. Fiesta de Artes Los Gatos' premier art and wine festival. The entertainment will feature live bands, local talent and more than 150 vendors. Aug 14-15, 10am-6pm; free. Los Gatos Town Center. 408.395.8016. Scotts Valley Art and Wine Festival Fourth annual Art Under the Oaks presented by Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce. Aug 14-15; 10am-6pm; free. Skypark, 361 Kings Village Rd, Scotts Valley. 831.438.1010. Milpitas Art and Wine Festival Featuring nonprofit booths, kids' activities, rides and two stages of music. Aug 21-22, 10am-6pm; free. Milpitas Boulevard, Milpitas. 408.262.2613. Aloha Celebrity Races and Polynesian Festival Novice racers encouraged, plus a celebration of island cultures. Aug 22, races at 9am, festival at 11am; free. Santa Cruz Wharf. 408.420.5273. Palo Alto Festival of the Arts Food booths and several hundred arts and craftspeople at a community extravaganza. Aug 28-29, 10am-6pm; free. University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto. 650.324.3121. September Begonia Festival This nautical parade of begonia-festooned floats on Sunday is a beachside tradition that runs all weekend. The best viewing starts Sunday at 1pm from Cliff Avenue, Wharf and Stockton roads. Sep 4-6, 1pm; free. Capitola. 831.476.3566. Millbrae Art and Wine Festival Food and drinks plus music, arts and crafts and a kids' stage. Sep 4-5, 10am-5pm; free. Broadway Avenue in downtown Millbrae. 650.697.7324. Tapestry Arts Festival A huge array of arts, crafts and live entertainment. Labor Day weekend, Sep 4-6; 10am-6pm (5pm on Mon); free. San Carlos and Santa Clara streets. 408.494.3590. Mountain View Art and Wine Festival Beer and wine, live music, arts and crafts vendors and children's activities. Sep 11-12, 10am-6pm; free. Castro Street, Mountain View. 650.968.8378. Vintage Santa Clara Wine and food celebration. Sep 12; 1:30-5pm; $30/$35. Mission Gardens, Santa Clara University. 408.554.6800. Santa Cruz County Fair Games, rides, displays and some livestock. Sep 14-19. County Fairgrounds, 2601 E. Lake Ave, Watsonville. 831.724.5671. Aki Matsuri Kids events, food and Japanese entertainment. Sep 18, noon-5pm; free. Wesley United Methodist Church, 566 N. Fifth St, San Jose. 408.285.0367. Capitola Art and Wine Festival Fine art, wine, music and food by the sea. There will be a concert at 6pm. Sep. 18-19, 10am-6pm; free. Downtown Capitola. 831.475.6522. Celebrate Saratoga Food and wine from local restaurants; six live music acts. Sep 18, 5:30-10:30pm; free. Saratoga downtown. 408.867.0753. Santa Clara Art and Wine Festival Talents from local and regional artists, international foods, 175 booths, entertainment stages and Kids' Kingdom. Sep 18-19; 10am-5pm. Central Park, 909 Kiely Blvd, Santa Clara. Holistic Arts Fair Featuring lectures, exhibits, workshops and music. Sep 24-26. Divine Science Center, 1540 Hicks Ave, Willow Glen. 408.293.3838. Taste of Morgan Hill Food and entertainment plus a display of classic cars. Sep 25-26; 10am-6pm; free. Monterey Road, Morgan Hill. 408.779.9444. Almaden Valley Art and Wine Festival A fundraiser sponsored by the Almaden Valley Women's Club and the city of San Jose. Sep 26. Almaden Lake Park, San Jose. www.almadenartwinefestival.com. Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]