The It List: Five things to do in Berkeley this weekend

YEAR OF THE SNAKE Thank your lucky stars that you don’t need to brave Beijing Railway Station, reportedly the busiest spot on Earth this weekend, to find Lunar New Year celebrations. Berkeleyans can instead stroll over to Solano Avenue for a Lunar New Year parade and performance celebrating the Year of the Snake on Sunday. The performances kick off at 1o a.m. in Landmark Theatre’s Albany Twin, and include acrobatics by members of the SF Circus, Chinese dance by Ah-Lan Dance and Lion Dance and a martial arts display by Golden Lion. After the performance, there will be a parade up the entire length of Solano (on the sidewalk), starting at noon. Performance at Albany Twin, 1115 Solano Avenue, Albany, at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

WAKE UP AND HEAR THE BIRDS If you want to get a move on Saturday morning, what could be better than a birding walk through the Botanical Garden. Apparently, birds are surprisingly active in winter in the garden, and Chris Carmichael, associate director of collections and research, and local birder Phila Rogers will be there to point out sights of interest. Registration is required and space is limited. Tickets are $20, $15 for members. The birding walk is from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive.

YOUNG PEOPLE, OLD MUSIC California’s oldest youth orchestra, Young People’s Symphony Orchestra, holds its winter concert on Saturday at the First Congregational Church at 8 p.m. The program, conducted by Ramadanoff, is Brahms’ Double Concerto for violin and cello, and Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. Florin Parvulescu, violin, and Amos Yang, cello, from the San Francisco Symphony, are the soloists. The 95 musicians in the orchestra are aged 12 to 21 and come from 29 different Bay Area cities. Tickets are $15, $12 for students and seniors. First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley.

MORE WAGGING TAILS We’re going through something of an animal-focused season here in Berkeley, after the grand opening of the city’s animal shelter last weekend. On Sunday, the Berkeley Humane Society throws open its doors for a Valentine’s Day celebration, Tails from the Heart. Live music, dog training and tricks demonstrations, street-fare food, and lots of fun activities for dogs, cats and their humans are promised. It all takes place at Ninth and Carleton Streets, from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

SUNDAY IN THE GALLERY The Brower Center is currently showing the work of two artists, Isabella Kirkland and Jeffrey Long, in Promise and Peril: A Study in Biodiversity. Special weekend viewing hours feature tours of the exhibit led by curators and artists and the program is free. Kirkland and Long employ different techniques, but converge in their commitment to capturing elements of nature in order to shed light on the ecological challenges we face. Hazel Wolf Gallery, Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, 94704, Feb. 10, March 10, and April 14; gallery hours 10:00 am-2:00 pm. Tours begin promptly at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Be sure to check out these other listings previously featured on Berkeleyside:

Chester “CT” Thompson plays Freight & Salvage Friday 
John Dies at the End opens at Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas on Friday
Our Practical Heaven exposes family undercurrents at the Aurora 

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To find out about more events in Berkeley and nearby, visit Berkeleyside’s Events Calendar. We also encourage you to submit your own events.