Festival features a variety of options
CLOVER PARK It seems fitting that the 17th annual Santa Monica Festival will be held this Saturday, a day before Mother’s Day.
The eco-friendly, zero-waste event — featuring solar-powered stages and vendors using materials that will be later turned into compost for farms in the Central Valley — is in many ways a celebration of Mother Earth and the efforts City Hall has made to make Santa Monica a leader in sustainability.
“It’s always been a cultural and arts festival, but when we came on board about 10 plus years ago with [the] Cultural Affairs [Division] it has been about the environment as well,” said Andrew Basmajian, City Hall’s environmental outreach coordinator. “It’s a showcase for the city and public works. It shows the natural fit between the cultural and artistic elements of the community and how that intermingles with the environment.”
The free event, which costs around $120,000 to produce, with $100,000 coming from city coffers, will feature music, dance and visual arts, as well “guilt-free” shopping from vendors featuring earth-friendly artistic wares. Fresh food from an assortment of local eateries will be available for purchase and visitors can participate in art workshops recycled and re-purposed materials as part of the re:Fashion Workshop, taught by award-winning costume designer Ann Closs-Farley.
The theme for this year’s festival is “Revel with a Cause,” said Hamp Simmons, cultural affairs supervisor.
“One of the great things about this, since it is our 17th year, is that we really got a huge buy-in from other city divisions and departments,” Simmons said. “Just about everybody comes and has a booth and you can get information on just about every city service that you want.
“We also have a lot of social service agencies that are there. A lot of people are surprised that they are [in Santa Monica] and by what they do,” Simmons continued.“It’s a great way to get to know our community.”
Headlining the days entertainment on the Ocean Stage, powered by batteries charged by the sun, is Dengue Fever, whose psyche-delic take on Cambodian pop has created quite a following, garnering global media attention and international acclaim. Other performers on the Ocean League stage include: DAFRA West African Dance and Drum Ensemble, performing and teaching songs and dances from Africa; Fishtank Ensemble, melding Romanian folk music with flamenco, Swedish folk and klezmer creating a Gypsy caravan sound; and Ballet Folklorico Nueva Antequera, presenting music and dance representing the seven regions of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Tommy Lee, coordinator of the Music Center’s Dance at the Music Center and Active Arts programs, will serve as the emcee.
“We’re really excited about playing in the festival,”said Senon Williams, Dengue Fever’s bass player.“It’s kind of fun when the festival is not just about music.When you have a mix of food and art and all types of things, it kind of makes the bands extra special.”
The Youth Stage features performances by Virginia Avenue Park’s Hip Hop Dance Group and the Soul Real band; the John Adams Middle School Jazz Band, and Downbeat 720 High School Talent.
The Eco Zone will shed light sunlight on local and global environmental issues, focusing on how residents can make a difference. Visitors can bring old cell phones and other small electronics for reuse at California Recycles.
“This is a big deal for us and we’re really excited and hope the community shows and enjoys themselves,” Basmajian said.
For more information on the festival, go to www.arts.santa-monica.org. The festival kicks off at 11 a.m. at Clover Park, 2600 Ocean Park Blvd. Parking is free but visitors are encouraged to ride their bikes are take public transit. There will be a free bicycle valet.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 10, 2008. Read the original PDF.