The highlight of the event was definitely the food. Some vendors only accepted cash, others only…read more"event cash" (which guests purchased/exchanged at the registration booth near the entrance), so this added a bit of inconvenience to our experience. But there were tons of food vendors throughout, and a comprehensive menu on the festival website, showcasing the wide range of diverse offerings, as well as clear menu signs at each tent on site. Falafel wraps, beef kofta and grilled lamb plates, and Egypt street food galore, along with an Egyptian coffee stand and a dessert corner selling crepes, baklava with ice cream, and other pastries. Just so much to choose from. We got a strawberry smoothie and hibiscus juice from the Tut & Sons beverage tent, and these treats were fresh tasting and delicious, topped off with a cute little umbrella on the colorful skinny straws it came with. We also tried the macaroni bashamel, alexandrian liver sandwich, and feteer with feta cheese and egg. Food and service were strangely just okay, but most volunteers/workers were friendly, and we didn't encounter any problems. And there were plenty of shaded tables and seating to enjoy our snacks and drinks. There were also church tours, extremely limited merchandise for sale (idk, maybe they ran out of offerings the first two days!?!), live music by community members and other forms of entertainment on a small stage, and a kids area with inflatable slides, rock climbing, and more. Free parking and unnecessary shuttle service was available at East Avenue Elementary School, but that lot was full when we arrived a little after lunchtime. Luckily we found parking on the road directly in front of the Coptic Youth Center where the festival was taking place. Fun little family-friendly event, free to attend, and great for spending an hour or two on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

It's always great to see a community get together and share their lives with strangers. I've never…read moreknown about Coptics, but judging from this festival they're pretty great. The church is cool with great art inside and a nifty store for all Egyptian needs is by the patio in the back. Only thing I'd change is the placement of the stage. It was pretty slanted and someone could get hurt. We got some hibiscus drink and strawberry smoothies. As well a lover sandwich and other good foods.

Bad ass event...ran into it while venturing through haywards farmers market. There is a car show…read morewith plenty of arts and crafts for everyone. The food is great and there is plenty of good shopping. I picked up a few pieces of skeleton art including an infinity scarf, and a skeleton wrist cuff. All the vendors are really cool and have really cool stuff I don't see at the malls or shops around here. I could have spent alot more money out here if I allowed the excitement of the great finds and very cool items to overwhelm me here :) a little at a time. Cheers to the weekend in Hayward!!!!

This was the 2nd Annual Vintage Car Show along the whole street B Street! This event was a one day…read moreevent on September 12th 2015 from 10AM-5PM! How amazing is that? Tons of food and many different cars! I was able to see old school Chevys and Buicks (which are my FAV!) All the cars going down the row were SEXYY!! OMG! The pictures speak a 1000 words! This event was definitely worth the one day! There was a live band: Prieto and Jink Jones. Although I wasn't there to experience the whole band they definitely did a good job while I was listening! I enjoyed seeing the beautiful Pin up Models in there outfits! OMG! There was a live DJ! Whoot whoot and raffles games that you could play and win amazing prizes! Now moving on to the food vendors! I was happy to see many of the companies that I see because I had never tried the food before so it was nice to be able to experience at the car show. They had beautiful art vendors! Oh how I wish I could have brough money on me! I wanted to buy a lot of the art that I had seen! It was THAT beautiful! I was able to try: Cupcake Shoppe- The love of cupcakes can never be that real! Just looking at the cupcakes had me excited. They decorations on the cupcakes is just plain ol' SEXY!! ~Puerto Rican Food Vendor: Selling Yucca Fries, Empanadas and Platano Maduro everything was delicious at this vender. ~Nachos were also served with everything on it for only $8! Pricey but hey what do you expect! This was definitely a nice car show and I'm happy to see that they had one in my city! I hope to see many more as I LOVE car shows! Until next year!

What a beautiful sunny warm day to celebrate The Hawaiian May Day Festival in Downtown Hayward! The…read moreKumu Hula Assoc of Northern California has hosted this historical Hawaiian event every May since 1985 in various Bay Area cities and returned to Hayward, where it all began in 2022. Kumu Hula Assoc was founded by the late Ehulani Enoka Lum in 1978 to fulfill her dream to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture for Hawaiians and Hawaiians at heart. The goal of this May Day event is to highlight the islands' culture, traditions, music and dance to bring Hayward and the greater community together. The free event was held in Downtown Hayward and spanned four and a half blocks from B and Main Streets. There were three performance stages with musicians and dancers. We arrived for the 'Ote'a 'Api, School of Polynesian Dance performances at Ehulani Lum Stage 2. The dancers spanned from kekis to adults and they put on beautiful Polynesian dance performances. The festival had over 80 arts, crafts and service vendors and about 25 food vendors. We saw some nice Hawaiian t-shirts and caps for a friend. Had a great time at the May Day Festival and looking forward to next year's event.p

This review is for the Festival of India which was facilitated by Festival of Globe was on Saturday…read more8/20 and Sunday 8/21. The event was located off of Paseo Padre Parkway in Fremont, easy walking access to the event via Walnut from Fremont BART. $5 admission and online ticketing was present as well to beat the lines. There was a parade on the street which was free. Unfortunately there was some protesting across on the fair side area of the street and had no idea what was being protested. The police were there in full force however keeping the public safe so kudos to them. Inside the fair there is a lot of shopping to do and also India food variety. The only drawback is the seating situation. Unfortunately there were not plentiful seating options there as we wanted to enjoy some of their food there! Stands selling merchandise, mostly cash for the most part - unsure if some vendors take Venmo or Zelle or Apple Pay. Also sponsored vendors out there like Alameda Water, etc. The event was not too crowded when you got inside so that was a nice thing to relax at our own pace and enjoy the event. Overall a nice experience out. And was not too hot.

This was a very good museum to find in Downtown San Leandro!!…read more I came in here while I was at the San Leandro Cherry Festival, and it was free to enter. This museum tells the history of San Leandro, with murals, exhibits, and photographs!! There's also an exhibit about redlining and housing discrimination in the city and the effects it has had on people! A small, but very informative museum!!!

I love still finding hidden gems in my hometown 18 years later and the community theater at the…read moreMuseum/Auditorium right next door to the Casa Peralta is my latest find. Two years ago, I wrote a blog post comparing movie theater to live theater - http://aroundthebayandaway.blogspot.com/2016/05/live-theater-vs-movie-theater.html discovering that live theater especially community theaters can be a much better value than going to the movies. With my introduction to the SL Player's performance of Agatha Christie's Mousetrap, I cannot wait to return to see what mystery they have in store for us next season. Since this is a community theater with a limited budget, chairs are just stackable chairs put out for the performance but once you are immersed in the storyline unfolding before you, you won't even care.

We had a great time touring the toy museum, lots of fun and interesting stuff to check out.read more

First off, they charge $15 for admission even though the business cards at the venue say the adult…read moreprice is $10. Bruce provided a tour of the place, which lasted about an hour. I would have preferred a self-guided tour, but I appreciated him sharing the history of and stories behind the items on display. Decades of pez dispensers decorated the hallway and most of the rooms. It was clearly the main attraction. Beyond that, a plethora of amazing antique mechanical banks including a clown themed one I found interesting, and vending banks as well. A unique collection of banned items too, including some representing controversial sterotypes and others just plain dangerous, like science kits that could actually cause explosions or dolls that would eat human hair without an off switch. I explored various versions of Mr. Potato Head, viewmasters from different origins and throughout time, vintage LEGO packs, and the mesmerizing slinky, the creator's wife responsible for the success of this beloved toy. It was also cool to see lots of "firsts", like the first barbie, the first comic book, and the first TV remote control. My favorite part was R.O. Frank's traveling mini circus exhibition in the back room. A delightful set of model circus scenes and figurines showcasing impressive detail. I even checked out the giant sculpture collection in the yard out front, with dinosaurs, sea creatures, and more. Purchased a few truck pez dispensers before leaving, a little gift for my nephew. Plus the guy didn't have change for the steep fifteen bucks I paid for admission, so it worked out. All in all, I enjoyed this place. Thanks, Bruce!

I came here for the first time to see a comedy show and it's a neat little location to visit,…read moreespecially if you're local to the area. They host a variety of events here, including art galleries (there was one on display when I came), shows, and community events. Parking is along the street since there's no designated parking lot but after a designated time (8 pm I believe) it's free. It's a nice space with potential - a little sparse when I went but it's new and still getting its footing. I liked the show and it was nice to see it in a new venue with sparkling interiors and an intimate feel.

Immerse yourself in artistic creations by local artists at Studio 11! Often showcasing paintings,…read moredrawings, and sculptures commemorating current observances, you'll have plenty to see and appreciate throughout the year. We recently attended their exhibit for art of hip hop music and culture. It was fascinating and refreshing to see so many brilliant pieces of work in full display (and some available for purchase). It's also conveniently located near BART, parks, and great places to dine, snack and shop. Parking can be a bit of a trouble since all the parking nearby are paid parking. But if you happen to be in the area or want to walk from Kennedy park, it's not that long of a walk! The studio also hosts camps and offers up their space for private events as well. Check them out and inquire about those opportunities!

I found out about this event through the Alameda Sun (local newspaper), the May 15 edition, full…read moreback page advertisement. It was the 4th Annual Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival held on May 18, 2014 at the Alameda Southshore Shopping Center, Center & Neptune Courts. I don't know where I was for the previous three festivals. I must not have been paying much attention to the happenings in Alameda. Then, I was still working. I am retired and I get to have fun...lotsa of fun in the sun on a weekend...lol...without worrying about the commute to work on a Monday. Thanks to Glenn Staller who organized this event and had it posted on Facebook, too. Even though I missed the headlining entertainment - Patrick Landeza, a Hawaiian slack key guitarist, I did not miss out on his products, which were proudly displayed near center stage - his CD, jams and jewelry. The jam was $8.00 and they came in many wonderful flavors, strawberry pineapple, mango pineapple, blueberry, pineapple, and dragon fruit pineapple-li hing. In support of his entrepreneurship, I bought one jar of the dragon fruit pineapple-li hing. Besides a few vendors (Hula Hawaiian Shave Ice - yay; Yummi BBQ food truck and AACP, Inc. of San Mateo, CA), there was a Chinese a calligrapher (had him write my name in Chinese), Japanese dancers, taiko drummers, Mongolian dancers, representatives from two restaurants - the Dragon Rouge Restaurant and the Ark Restaurant. There was an Asian noodle cook-off and Dragon Rouge won it hands down, 2nd place went to The Ark. Also, there was a speed slurping contest of 5 lbs. of noodles between a team from San Francisco and a local team from the U.S. Coast Guard. The eating/slurping contest reminds me of the potsticker contest that the Oakland Chinatown Streetfest did many years ago. The Alameda Chinese Club had a nice presentation with their red envelopes. Presentations by Dragon Rouge (noodles in a hulled out pineapple) and The Ark (carved watermelon into a beautiful rose) were definitely eye candy to me. Overall, I had a fantabulous time and I can't forget to mention the emcee, Steve, who was entertaining and very engaging with the audience. I can't post a video on yelp, but Steve had a voice of a professional radio personality and he was doing the commentating on the slurping noodle contest and interviewing the judges of the contest, which included a few dignitaries from the City of Alameda.