KITE FESTIVAL The 29th annual Berkeley Kite Fest will take place Saturday and Sunday in César Chavez Park. The free festival will feature kite making and flying lessons, as well as food and craft activities. A traditional Japanese kite-flying team will also be there to showcase their technique. The festival begins at 10 a.m. each day and continues until 6 p.m. Parking in the Berkeley Marina will cost $15. Parking space is limited and the Berkeley Police Department encourages you to take public transit to the event.
SOCCER GAME International soccer powerhouses Real Madrid and Inter Milan will play in Berkeley’s first ever international soccer match at Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium on Saturday, July 26. The game, which kicks off at 3 p.m., will be the third of the International Champions Cup, a tournament of friendly matches between eight of the top European squads. Proceeds will support Cal: According to UC Berkeley vice chancellor for administration and finance John Wilton, 25% of the match guarantee will go to academic scholarship support. Some tickets are still available online. For those who do not plan to attend, parking and traffic will likely be difficult in the city this Saturday. See our story on what to expect.
SUMMER SHORTS MOVIE JAM The fourth annual Berkeley Community Media Summer Shorts Movie Jam is this weekend. The event is a contest to see which team can create the best five-minute film in 48 hours. Kickoff is Friday at 5 p.m. and the deadline for the films is Sunday at 6 p.m. Interested in watching, but not filming? Berkeley Community Media will host a screening of the films at 7 p.m. Sunday in its theater at 2239 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Sign up to participate in the contest at the website. Suggested donation for audience members on Sunday is $10 each.
SAFE AND SOUND Volunteer to help the students of Malcolm X Elementary school create a large new mosaic sign to increase visibility of the school crosswalk on Ashby at Ellis and King. Malcolm X has partnered with Youth Spirit Artworks and local mosaic artist Rachel Rodi to create a handmade mosaic sign for the school that will read “Malcolm X Elementary.” This Saturday, they are asking for the help of volunteers from noon to 4 p.m. to clean out vines and plant drought-resistant succulents in the spots planned for the signs. They ask that you bring any landscaping tools you have.
WEST EDGE OPERA The West Edge Opera opens its 35th season this weekend with its Summer Opera Festival. The festival kicks off with an “immersive” production of Puccini’s “La Bohéme” at the Ed Roberts Campus at 8 p.m. Saturday. There will also be performances of “Hydrogen Jukebox” and “The End of the Affair.” The festival runs through Aug. 10 and each show will be performed three times. Tickets start at $55 and can be purchased online. More information about the festival is available at the West Edge Opera website.
Don’t miss these other events previously covered by Berkeleyside:
Avotcja Jiltonilro: Soul on Soul
YMTC: Some enchanted singing
Big Screen Berkeley: Office Space
Shotgun Players’ Twelfth Night
Check out Berkeleyside’s event calendar for many more events, and make sure to post your own community happenings.
