Folks dance on the stage at the center of Balboa Park’s International Cottages. The lawn program today was hosted by the House of France.
For a moment I thought I’d taken a wrong turn. Was this Louisiana? Upon entering the lawn area of Balboa Park’s International Cottages, the energetic, rollicking Zydeco music coming from the stage made me suddenly feel like dancing about! And I don’t dance!
San Diego’s own Bayou Brothers band was the main entertainment this afternoon for the House of France’s lawn program! And they appeared to be an enormous hit!
An accordion starts hands clapping and feet stomping.A nice crowd enjoyed some great entertainment on a perfect Sunday in the park.People gathered outside the House of France to listen to the music, talk, and look at some cultural displays.A poster says Welcome to the House of France. It depicts Mont St. Michel, Château de Versailles, la Tour Eiffel, and other popular national attractions.Some visitors inside the House of France sample treats and enjoy more good conversation.While outside, the music played. Just another wonderful day in Balboa Park.
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Performers walk off the grassy stage at Crown Point during the San Diego Shaka Fest.
Here are some photos of the San Diego Shaka Fest held at Crown Point on Mission Bay yesterday. What a fun event!
There was a whole lot of Hawaiian culture, art and sport to see, including canoe racing and Hula dance.
It was so sunny and warm by the water, it was easy to imagine that everyone in attendance had been magically transported to the Hawaiian islands!
Caution! Your are entering an Aloha Only zone, ya! Please leave your troubles at da door!Lots of stand up paddleboards and canoes down on the water of Mission Bay.People enjoy a perfect San Diego Saturday.Some canoe racing between Crown Point and Fiesta Island.A nice lady told me a bit about Hawaiian dance. One can learn Hula at workshops provided by Halau Ka Lei Kukui Hi’ilani and Hawaiian Hula International.Hawaiian culture is sunny, welcoming and full of smiles.Tim Richards is creating a tiki using a chisel, mallet and palm wood. I believe he said it takes about 6 hours to produce one this size.Lots of fun Hawaii-themed stuff for sale at Shaka Fest.And more colorful stuff!Youth prepare to take the stage. They hold ipu gourds, a traditional musical percussion instrument in Hawaii.Hula dancing on Mission Bay.This couple was watching the entertainment.Lots of paddleboards were near the sandy beach.A pleasant day was enjoyed by many at the San Diego Shaka Fest.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
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Cool graphics on the side of a customized lowrider on display at this year’s Chicano Park Day celebration.
I headed down to Barrio Logan this morning to enjoy a bit of the 47th Annual Chicano Park Day celebration!
The big festival celebrating Mexican and Chicano culture drew huge crowds as usual from all around Southern California. There was traditional folklorico dancing, Aztec indigenous dance, and a huge contingent of lowriders and motorcyclists who converged to enjoy the scene and showcase their cool rides. Families enjoyed great food, the park’s playground, and a look at artwork and unique gifts at the many vendor tents. It was fun to just hang around, absorbing San Diego’s warm sunshine and the lively entertainment. The famous murals of Chicano Park infuse the much-loved event with a sense of history and potent meaning. The murals tell of the hard-fought struggle for civil rights.
Chicano Park Day this year was dedicated to Ramón Chunky Sánchez, a very popular musician and a leader of San Diego’s Chicano community who passed away late last year. Speakers also provided emotional tributes to the four who died last year at the annual La Raza Run motorcycle festival in Chicano Park when a car tragically plummeted onto the crowd from a ramp to the Coronado Bay Bridge.
On a happier note, I must mention that in January Chicano Park was designated a National Historic Landmark! Chicano Park contains our nation’s largest collection of outdoor murals.
Please enjoy some colorful photos from this morning!
A family heads toward Chicano Park, where a big annual celebration of Latino history and culture took place today.The first thing that caught my attention were lots of awesome vehicles. Many were fitted with hydraulics. Southern California lowrider culture is unmatched in the entire world.Cool cars in Barrio Logan’s world-famous park.Motorcycles and their proud owners also rode in from far and wide for the event.One corner of one mural. As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil porque soy Chicano!Vendor has lots of fun gifts ready for the growing crowd.These guys were enjoying the lively scene from one of the public park’s picnic tables.Some old photos at one booth show Chicano Park being claimed and created by activist community members in 1970.A variety of images that tell some of the history of San Diego’s unique Chicano Park.A memorial still remains in Chicano Park, where four were tragically killed last year when a driver veered off the bridge above.A large crowd gathered around the pavilion to hear surviving family members remember the deceased and thank the local community for its undying love.A large crowd, and the festival had barely opened.And then the entertainment began!People enjoy Chicano Park Day among the many expressive murals. A beautiful image of Virgin Mary has a shrine at its base.Another photo of the festival today.The folklorico dancing produces smiles, cheers and applause. The park’s pavilion, also called the Kiosko, was designed to look like a pre-Colombian Mesoamerican temple.Traditional Mexican ballet folklorico is a delightful slice of Latino culture and much loved in San Diego.Some bold artwork on display at the festival. I spotted lots of Aztec and Dia de los Muertos designs.And more cool stuff!Photograph at one table shows the late Chicano musician Ramón Chunky Sánchez.Many dancers who would perform at the Chicano Park Day celebration wore resplendent Aztec-inspired costumes.Another fantastic sight in culturally rich San Diego.The High Class Car Club out of Los Angeles had lots of amazing lowrider vehicles on display at nearby Mercado del Barrio.A cool design on the side of one very cool car!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
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People watch the 5th Annual International Mariachi Festival in National City’s Pepper Park.
I took a bunch of colorful photos today at one of San Diego’s most wonderful festivals! The 5th Annual International Mariachi Festival was held today at Pepper Park in National City. (Actually, as I post this blog, the event still has about an hour to go.)
So what does one see at a Mariachi Festival? Read the captions!
The first performance featured the colorful Azteca Dancers – Danza Mexi’cayotl.The Azteca Dancers file onto the stage to the beat of drums.The audience watches the dancers perform on the Main Stage of the National City International Mariachi Festival.Dancers of all ages participate in several ancient Aztec dances, including a Rain Dance.Energy and joy are expressed as cultural traditions live on.The first of many wonderful performances at the Mariachi Festival!Now here comes Danza Folklorica Las Florecitas!Another amazing dance begins!Smiles and brightly colorful dresses are both big parts of Mexican culture.Dizzily spinning color and pure joy.Life as it should be.The happy, rhythmic music had lots of people in the audience clapping along.Here come some youthful musicians! I believe this is Mariachi Maya de Southwest Middle School. You wouldn’t believe the lung power and vocal range of that gifted young singer!Watching from the side of the Main Stage.Meanwhile lots of other fun stuff was going on at the festival, including this guy creating cool spray paint art.Vendors had all sorts of stuff for sale, including colorful Mexican dresses and fierce lucha libre masks.Speaking of lucha libre, there was some of that as well. (The blindfolded guy somehow won!)Wrestlers entertain a small crowd at the International Mariachi Festival.My favorite photo of the family event!And the event this year was very big! More people kept on arriving right into the afternoon.The excellent entertainment continued non-stop at the Main Stage.Many great mariachi groups would perform from around San Diego, Southern California and Mexico. Many middle school and high school groups participated.At the opposite end of Pepper Park, on the Port Stage, kids of all ages performed.On the grass off to the side of the Port Stage a bunch of young performers awaited their turn in the spotlight.Now I’m back at the Main Stage one last time. The crowd has grown!Rousing, emotional, much-loved mariachi music brought loud applause throughout the event.This young man sang several songs, and finished with an exciting mariachi version of Sinatra’s New York, New York!Here come some young couples dancing! I’m not sure who these performers are.A dance filled with life.Youthful energy at the Mariachi Festival in National City.And now–I believe–Danza Folklorico Nanahuatzin.Colorful skirts whirling like kaleidoscopes.A traditional Mexican folk dance delighting both eyes and ears.Pure joy.Many wonderful performances could be enjoyed at the 5th Annual International Mariachi Festival!
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Fiesta de Reyes in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park features a stage with live folklorico dancing!
Whenever I visit Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, I poke my head into Fiesta de Reyes. The Mexican-themed shops and restaurants are always lively and cheerful, but what I really hope to see is the folklorico dancing!
The colorful dancing takes place daily. Take a look at these photos and smile!
The outdoor stage is located near the Mexican-themed shops and restaurants of Fiesta de Reyes. Daily dancing is a popular attraction.Traditional Mexican dance includes colorful dresses and big smiles.Outdoor benches at Fiesta de Reyes allow visitors to relax and watch the free entertainment.Some performers in costume wait off to the side of the stage.Colorful banners behind the stage.A joyful scene of traditional Mexican folk dance.Between the stage and nearby outdoor restaurant is this stunning dancer. Art made entirely of succulents.Benches facing the stage include bits of cheerful folk art.An image of two smiling youth, holding hands.Fun mariachi sculptures on a wagon just inside the entrance to Fiesta de Reyes.Mexican culture on a sunny San Diego day.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
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An imaginative performance at Fault Line Park in San Diego’s East Village during the 2016 Trolley Dances!
Check out these fun photos! They show the energy audiences will experience when they venture downtown to watch the Trolley Dances this year!
The Trolley Dances is all about contemporary dance in surprising public places. This year the Trolley Dances, a collaboration between the San Diego Dance Theater and our Metropolitan Transit System, begins with a performance in Barrio Logan. Mobile audiences, following guides, then make their way by trolley and foot to a variety of unusual downtown locations, where dancers appear like magic and perform. The unique experience lasts about two and a half hours and comes to a conclusion at the relatively new Fault Line Park in East Village. That’s where I snapped a few pics of the final two dances.
I’ll try not to give away too much. Let your imagination go to town–or better yet, buy a ticket. The 2016 Trolley Dances takes places this weekend and next!
A mobile audience arrives at San Diego’s Fault Line Park. The park will be the setting of two energetic dances.The audience takes a seat. Is something behind that wall?Yes, indeed! These suddenly rising dancers seem to have paddled in to shore!Perhaps it’s an invasion!Dancing on boulders at Fault Line Park! Flight of the Valkyries plays!A unique work of modern dance at the 2016 Trolley Dances in San Diego.The dancers approach the audience as if rowing a Viking longship . . .They have conquered!Meanwhile, out on the nearby grass, not far from some people practicing football skills, I spot a circle of baseball players . . .These baseball players also happen to be dancers!Just like professional baseball players, each performer is introduced by name to the Trolley Dances audience.And a joyful dance commences . . .Just a lot of fun.Dancers rest for a few minutes. They await the next mobile audience that will arrive at Fault Line Park during the 2016 Trolley Dances.
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A beautiful dance on the Spreckels Organ Pavilion stage in Balboa Park during the 2016 Moon Festival.
A truly wonderful Chinese Moon Festival is being held this evening in Balboa Park! I took photos before the sun set that provide a sense of how fantastic and entertaining this annual event is.
The Moon Festival is co-sponsored by the House of China in Balboa Park and the Confucius Institute at San Diego State University. Every year, the festival seems to grow and grow!
A very large crowd turned out this year for the Chinese Moon Festival in Balboa Park. The benches in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion were packed.Table provides info about the Confucius Institute at San Diego State University. They co-sponsored the Moon Festival, along with the House of China in Balboa Park.The San Diego Chinese Historical Society and Museum was having a book sale!Huge Chinese Crepes were being prepared near the entertainment.A half moon hangs above the ornate colonnade of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Very appropriate!The Moon Festival would provide lots of colorful entertainment into the evening. I took photos while the sun was still up.Thunder drums!Followed by youthful Chinese acrobats!These energetic acrobats were wonderfully talented. They performed feats that seemed impossible.A fluid, colorful dance that mimics the motions of an exotic fish. Everyone in the audience seemed mesmerized.A truly wonderful Chinese dance in San Diego’s Balboa Park during the 2016 Moon Festival!
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Beauty queens and dancers in colorful dresses watch the House of Peru lawn program in San Diego’s Balboa Park.
I took some photos this afternoon in Balboa Park of the House of Peru’s lawn program. In these photographs you’ll see genuine joy. I felt it.
Like many other nations, Peru is a member of the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages, located near the heart of beautiful Balboa Park. The special event today coincided with Peru’s Fiestas Patrias, a holiday that celebrates Peru gaining independence from the Spanish Empire.
I hung around for a bit, absorbing all the life. I then meandered on through the green, sun-filled park. I did a lot of sitting on shady benches. I did my best to conjure up a new short story idea for my fiction blog Short Stories by Richard. I also took a peek at the Orchid Show in the Casa del Prado. I’ll blog about that in a day or two on one of my other photo blogs, Beautiful Balboa Park.
The House of Pacific Relations’ lawn program today among the International Cottages featured the House of Peru. Peru is celebrating its Fiestas Patrias.Many Peruvian products were on display and for sale in tents around the grassy lawn.I was told the sweaters, mittens and other woven goods were made in Peru.There was a lot of favorite Peruvian food, including marcianos (fruit pops) and chicha morada (a sweet Peruvian beverage made from purple corn).A huge crowd assembled for the celebration of Peru’s independence from the Spanish Empire. The lawn program would include speeches, music and dancing.Color guard from Coronado High School’s JROTC program. Photo taken minutes before the event opened with national anthems from both the United States and Peru.Hearty greetings were offered to everyone attending. Many in the audience had roots in Peru. The mural backdrop depicts Machu Picchu.After a few speeches, the lawn program featured stirring Peruvian music.The music was so lively and happy, some people from the audience were soon dancing on the stage!I plainly see that in Peru there’s a deep love of life!Costumed dancers, young and old, practice off-stage during the festive House of Peru lawn program in Balboa Park.
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Dancing to traditional Kumeyaay Bird Songs in Balboa Park during the American Indian Health Center Pow Wow.
A special event is going on this weekend in Balboa Park. The American Indian Health Center Pow Wow is taking place near the corner of Park Boulevard and Presidents Way.
I enjoyed the first hour of the pow wow, watching and listening to the performance of Bird Songs by members of the Kumeyaay Nation. These very powerful ancient songs live on today, but other similar songs from the past have been lost to time.
Other events at the pow wow include gourd dancing and fancy shawl dancing. Tents around the venue feature all sorts of Native American crafts, food, art and cultural information. If you’re in San Diego, swing on by! The public is welcome!
Gourd rattles are an important and powerful part of Kumeyaay Bird Songs. Traditionally, a musical sound has also been produced with a stick rubbed against a rough basket.A large drum awaits on the grass as the Native American Pow Wow in San Diego has just begun.Miss Kumeyaay Nation was very gracious to pose for a photograph.I swung by the pow wow during its first hour. Many additional participants were arriving and setting up.Many who’d arrived for the pow wow were already in colorful ceremonial costumes. The earlier rain had ceased and people were relaxing, enjoying friendship, spirit-filled music and another beautiful day.Someone proudly wears an American Indian Warriors Association emblem.Photo taken as the American Indian Health Center Pow Wow in Balboa Park is just getting started.Getting ready for a busy day of dance, song, spirituality, and honoring local Native American culture and history.Working on beautiful ceremonial objects to be worn or displayed during a life-filled pow wow in San Diego.
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Visitors to Seaport Village in San Diego rock out to the Bayou Brothers!
I walked quite a bit today. As I passed through Seaport Village, my ears caught some music coming from the East Plaza Gazebo.
The Bayou Brothers were rocking, and people were dancing to cool Zydeco music like crazy! It felt like a slice of Mardi Gras! I love it!
As I walked along San Diego’s Embarcadero today, I noted a lot of energy around Seaport Village’s East Plaza Gazebo.Look at all the happy people dancing! It’s hard to keep still when an awesome Zydeco band is playing!The Bayou Brothers, based in El Cajon, is a well known local band. Their infectious, toe-tapping music features accordion, keyboards, guitar, bass, and even a fun rubboard!It’s hard to stand still! The Bayou Brothers add wonderful vitality to a Sunday afternoon in Seaport Village.
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