Berkeley wouldn’t be Berkeley without the Solano Stroll, the city’s annual 26-block street fair that draws people from far and wide to enjoy hours of free entertainment, music, food and merriment. This year’s “Step into the Future” stroll is the city’s 38th and it takes place on Sunday Sept. 9, 10am-6pm.
The East Bay’s largest festival, which Berkeleyside is proud to sponsor once more, embraces all the merchants, restaurateurs and professionals on the Berkeley and Albany stretches of Solano Avenue, as well as a host of stalls from participating businesses and nonprofits.
“We’ll have over 500 vendors, including food stands with cuisine from Armenia to China, Italy to Vietnam, Mexican, Mediterranean, Mongolian, French, Indian, barbecue, vegan — You name it, we’ll have it there,” said Stroll organizer extraordinaire Allen Cain said. “Not to mention 50 exceptional entertainers representing the same great international diversity that is the Bay Area.”
The start of the day sees the grand parade which in which around 100 local community groups participate, from dancers to firefighters, scout groups to preschools.
As an alcohol-free family event the Stroll also offers a special area set aside for kids with mechanical rides, a Ferris-wheel, carnival games, face painters and magic. There’s also a pet’s area, a school/youth resource area, and valet parking for cyclists.
Come say hello to the Berkeleyside team at our booth, right near the Twins Hair Salon and IScream! ice cream store at 1821 Solano. For full details on the stroll, visit the Solano Stroll website.
To find out about more events in Berkeley and nearby, visit Berkeleyside’s Events Calendar. We also encourage you to submit your own events.
