FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Livermore Valley Arts
Contact:
Ruth Egherman (925) 583-2306
regherman@lvpac.org
Anne Giancola (978) 852-6333
agiancola@lvpac.org
A Full Fall on the Bankhead Plaza Celebrating Our Global Community
Livermore, CA – (September 15, 2023) – Having just kicked off its 2023-2024 Bankhead Presents Season, Livermore Valley Arts is delighted to be taking our diverse community on a comprehensive, global journey this autumn with a number of free events for families and friends to come together on the Bankhead Plaza. On Saturday, September 23, we will honor and celebrate the Native Peoples of the Americas at our Indigenous People’s Day Celebration. A busy October will kick off with our Weekend of Culture community celebrations, featuring the Taste of Africa Festival and Filipino Barrio Fiesta on the Bankhead Plaza, taking place Saturday, October 7, and Sunday, October 8, respectively. The month of festivities will continue with the Tri-Valley’s premiere arts festival, ArtWalk Livermore, on Saturday, October 14, as well as the new-for-LVA Pride Fest Livermore for the whole family on Saturday, October 21. The fall celebrations will finish before the holidays, with Diwali Festival of Lights on Sunday, November 5. The public is invited to celebrate our global community at these events in Downtown Livermore, sponsored by LVA’s 2023-2024 community cultural series sponsor, Las Positas College, and LVA’s 2023-2024 community cultural media sponsor, The Independent. Thanks largely to Las Positas College’s generous support, these events are FREE and open to the public.
Sponsored in part by Champion Scaffold Services, Indigenous People’s Day will be a celebration of story, song, and dance appreciating the long history of culture and traditions that Native Americans and Hispanic Americans have preserved through the centuries. Featuring Altar, Land Acknowledgement, Traditional Dance, Storytime, Book Giveaway, Flute Performance, Community Drum Circle, and more, there will be numerous activities to learn from and enjoy for children, families, and adults. Livermore Valley Arts acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ohlone. LVA affirms the sovereign rights of their community as First Peoples and is committed to supporting the traditional
and contemporary evolution of the American Indian community and uplifting contemporary indigenous voices and culture. Come be a part of celebrating Indigenous Peoples on September 23.
The public is next invited to take an adventure into culture on October 7, joining the Cheza Nami Foundation for the 11th Annual Taste of Africa Festival in the heart of Livermore. Cheza Nami Foundation, founded in 2011, is a Pleasanton-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to promote cultural education and diversity awareness to learning institutions, corporations, and communities that focus on fostering a more congenial relationship among its members. This free, family-friendly event is an outdoor festival showcasing musical and dance performances by local African and African diaspora artists, art exhibits, food, an African marketplace, a community art project, a kidzone with a reading corner, crafts, interactive instrument exploration, and so much more, with something for everyone and every age. Attendees can even enjoy shopping for one-of-a-kind products and enjoy delicious food from local African chefs at this beautiful celebration.
Livermore Valley Arts’ next free community cultural event will be the always-a-Tri-Valley-favorite Filipino Barrio Fiesta on the Bankhead Plaza, celebrating Filipinx American History Month through art, food, music, dance, history, and culture. October officially marks Filipino American History Month in the United States; October’s significance as Filipino American History Month is due to the first recorded presence of Filipinos in the continental United States when, on October 18, 1587, “Luzones Indios” came ashore from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza and landed at what is now Morro Bay, California. In November of 2009, the United States House of Representatives and Senate passed laws – House Resolution 780 and Senate Resolution 298, respectively – officially recognizing October as Filipino American History Month in the United States. This celebration on October 8 will honor this month with the 8th annual Filipino Barrio Fiesta in Livermore.
The following weekend, the Tri-Valley’s premiere community celebration of art, ArtWalk, returns to Downtown Livermore. On October 14, the 22nd ArtWalk Livermore will expand to encompass more of our lovely downtown and connect our art park site destinations, with street booths placed strategically to allow attendees to experience both local businesses and restaurants as well as the arts. ArtWalk expands beyond the Bankhead Plaza, moving down First Street and through Livermorium Park. Handmade and original works by over 200 artists can be enjoyed, as well as live music, cultural arts
demonstrations, and crafts for children. ArtWalk is a priceless opportunity for artists to interact with visitors as they explore a broad range of works, ranging from contemporary to classical, abstract to realism, pottery to jewelry, and mixed media. The subject matter is equally broad, from floral to figurative and more. Art is the main focus of the day at ArtWalk: meet the artists and buy one-of-a-kind, original handmade treasures right in stunning Downtown Livermore.
Later in the season, LVA is elated to be a part of the first Pride Fest Livermore celebration. Livermore Pride is the sponsor for this event; they are an amazing homegrown hometown group of local residents dedicated to building LGBTQ+ Community, Equity, and Inclusion in Livermore and the Tri-Valley. With a welcoming, family-focused celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in Livermore, we will honor the diversity of our community, highlighting the intersectionality of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, race, religion, political ideology, and economic status. We strive to have all LGBTQ+ people feel seen and heard as valued members of our community. Love is love in Livermore, and the public is invited to be part of this inclusive celebration on October 21.
Featuring traditional cultural performances and booths, the autumn events on the Bankhead Plaza will close out with Diwali Festival of Lights in November. The celebration is an ancient Hindu festival that marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year. Diwali is celebrated every autumn or spring in South Asian countries such as India and Nepal. The tradition originated as a festival marking the last harvest of the year before the start of winter and spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. Be a part of this bright and colorful celebration on November 5.
All aforementioned events are free and open to the general public; no reservations are required. The Bankhead Theater and Plaza are located at 2400 First Street in Downtown Livermore. These free community and cultural events are part of LVA’s core value and belief that everyone in the Tri-Valley should have the opportunity to experience the arts at whatever age and whatever level they are. The public is invited to share in these free events and activities—all are welcome—to not only celebrate these beautiful and varied cultures from around the globe and from our own community but also to learn and grow from our shared history as Americans and, more greatly, as human beings.
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Livermore Valley Arts is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit offering wide-ranging programs that provide access to the arts for the Tri-Valley community and beyond. The Bankhead Theater and Bothwell Arts Center are home to eight resident performing arts companies and over 40 studio artists and cultural arts instructors. LivermoreArts.org
Event: Indigenous People’s Day on the Bankhead Plaza
Date/Time: Saturday, September 23, 2023, 10am—5pm
Tickets: Free
Event: Taste of Africa on the Bankhead Plaza
Date/Time: Saturday, October 7, 2023, 10am—6pm
Tickets: Free
Event: Filipino Barrio Fiesta on the Bankhead Plaza
Date/Time: Sunday, October 8, 2023, 10am—8pm
Tickets: Free
Event: ArtWalk Livermore
Date/Time: Saturday, October 14, 2023, 11am—5pm
Tickets: Free
Event: Pride Fest Livermore on the Bankhead Plaza
Date/Time: Saturday, October 21, 2023, 12pm—3pm
Tickets: Free
Event: Diwali Festival of Lights on the Bankhead Plaza
Date/Time: Sunday, November 5, 2023, 10am—2pm
Tickets: Free
Dates, times, and ticket prices for other events available at www.LivermoreArts.org
