The end of April is near, which means that Earth Day is here! While the official date isn't until this coming Monday, April 22, Sacramento is starting the celebrating early this weekend with green-loving events galore. Take a look at the environmentally-friendly events below, and find more information in Sacramento365.com's Holiday Events section. Earthy Festivals: Earth Day Celebration: Sacramento City Hall; Thurs, April 18, 9am-2pm: Come out and join for a free day of fun for all ages. There will be interactive learning including composting, recycling, clean air demonstrations, and much more. Celebrate the Earth Festival: Utility Exploration Center at Mahany Park; Sat, April 20, 10a

The annual alternative culture phenomenon known as Burning Man has become highly popular since its inception in 1986; thousands of "burners" flock to Nevada's Black Rock Desert every year to participate in the festival. It's not surprising, then, that Sacramento has created its own smaller version of Burning Man. "Burn the River," set to take place Saturday, is in its second year and growing fast. Burn the River was created last year when a group of local artists returned from Burning Man and created a nonprofit organization called Sacramento Valley Spark as an effort to bring the philosophy of Burning Man to the Sacramento area. Their first main goal was to throw a large community arts f

Downtown James Brown is by far Sacramento's most popular street performer, and he has been known to jam with the reggae/funk band ZuhG on occasion ‒ which is exactly what went down on Labor Day in Fremont Park during the Chalk-It-Up! festival. (Video shot by Russell Albert, cmdshiftMedia Edit by Jared Goyette, Sac Press) -- Sign up for our weekly News Digest newsletter to catch the top stories you may have missed. Jared Goyette is the editor of the Sacramento Press Follow @JaredGoyette !

Come and her the sounds of Texas, This year the Tejano Conjunto Festival is featuring the King of Tex Mex music 5 time Grammy winner "Mr Flaco Jimenez and Chente Barrera" For more information log onto www.Landarrowsproductions,org Tickets 25.00 person Children free!

Everyone loves a good three-day weekend, and what better way to celebrate than in Sacramento! Enjoy a fun-filled and relaxing Labor Day weekend by checking out some of the activities and events listed below, which are sure to keep you happily busy all weekend long. Food, Music, & Art Galore! Chalk It Up! to Sacramento Festival: Fremont Park, Sat-Mon 10am-6pm Enjoy three full days of fun, family friendly outdoor activities. This event will feature live musical performances, art, and great food. 4th Annual One Love, One Heart Reggae Music Festival: Rio Ramaza Marina & Event Park, Sat-Sun 11am-Midnight; Mon 10am-2pm Experience a multicultural collection of world music, dance, and cuisine.

Hundreds of Sacramentans and their families attended the third annual banana festival, Bananarama, on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon in William Land Park. The first day of the weekend-long event proved to be a success: Festival goers walked through the park with frozen chocolate-covered bananas on sticks, banana lemonade, banana splits and other banana-themed treats as music played through loudspeakers and multicultural dance groups took to the central stage. At the large community stage, groups including the Silk Dancers, the Samba Da Terra Brazil dancers, and the Polynesian group Samoa Sila Sila performed in traditional dress; other performing groups included the Tina B. Soul Lin

Sacramentans and their families can go bananas this weekend at the third annual Banana Festival, Bananarama, in William Land Park. The festival promises live music, vendors, contests, and banana-themed foods ranging from banana cake to less-conventional “bananachos” and banana dogs. For the $5 admission, festivalgoers can enjoy around 20 banana foods and snacks and take part in activities including banana limbo and bingo. Live music ranging from African and Brazilian to blues, jazz and R&B will be playing alongside a live mural painting (guess the theme), amusement rides, face painting, storytelling and a banana split eating contest. Other competitions for kids include the Bananas in Paj

Friday evening over 1,200 people flooded Central Park in downtown Davis for Clips of Faith, a bike-in beer and short film festival brought to the area by New Belgium Brewing. The event was a fundraiser for Davis Bicycles! and was supported by dozens of volunteers from around the area. Patrons were able to taste over a dozen kinds of beer, including Prickly Passion Saison, featuring prickly pear and passion fruit juices; Belgo, a Belgian IPA; and Cocoa Mole, a chocolate beer with more than a hint of chili pepper. Of course, they also served their classics. Fat Tire and Shift, for instance, are generally quite popular, and were available, though many chose to try out the newbies rather tha

Roshaun and Maritza Davis of Unseen Heroes bring their passion and expertise to many of the finely-crafted events you see in Sacramento. And, while their name implies they are usually a behind-the-scenes sort of crew, Sacramento365.com thought it was time to shed some light on all this organization does for Sacramento. Unseen Heroes have been key components behind many Sacramento events and activities--such as the Modern Italian Film Festival, Launch, and pop-up shops around town (think the Fiats at Hot Italian)--and are currently delving into the local food and design community with the GOOD: Street Food + Design Market. What began in a midtown apartment in 2008 for the sole purpose of d

The Fourth annual Urban Ag Fest to be held on Saturday will not just be your garden variety fundraiser, but an evening of education and feasting. The event will take place at Rosemont High School, located at 9594 Kiefer Blvd. In an effort to raise funds for edible schoolyard projects, Slow Food Sacramento has teamed up with Rosemont’s Green Academy, an organization that teaches students about the environmental implications of their choices. There will be a reception showcase in the school garden in which 11 groups of representatives from schools in the Sacramento and surrounding areas will man booths displaying the highlights of their gardens. Such treasures are set to include seed sta

There will be cruisers and fixies, fat tire bikes, art bikes and, in all likelihood, some bicycles that just defy labels this Sunday at 10 a.m. in Southside Park during the Sacramento Cyclefest Custom Bicycle Show. More than 300 bicycles will be competing in 23 categories, according to a press release. Food vendors will be present, as well as a DJ. Admission is free. If you're lacking a set of wheels (or believe in the idea that the total number of bikes any aficionado needs is her current number plus one) then you might want to try your luck at a raffle with the chance to win a custom bike that was made specially for Cyclefest. There will also be a swap meet to exchange gear and an "Ar

For many, Memorial Day weekend evokes the start of the summer season—warm days, cool nights, and lots of outdoor fun. On the other hand, Memorial Day itself serves as a day of remembrance for those that have given their lives for our country. Sacramento events this weekend take on both those meanings, with ways to honor those that have fallen, plus plenty of outdoor festivities and summery fun. Be sure to check Sacramento365.com's Holiday Event section for even more options. Take advantage of your extra day with these weekend-long events: Festivals: 76th Annual Sacramento County Fair: Cal Expo; Thurs-Sun 10am-10pm; Mon 10am-7pm The 2012 Sacramento County Fair celebrates 76 years of fair

Sacramento, Let's Play Ball! Dodgeball, that is.  And for a good cause! Metro EDGE, Sacramento’s premiere network of 40-and-under young professionals, is excited to announce the third annual “A Day on the EDGE” fundraiser.  This year’s event will feature a dodgeball tournament complete with great music, food, and drinks – all to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento. A program of the Sacramento Metro Chamber, Metro EDGE identifies and supports a local nonprofit organization through volunteerism and philanthropic giving every year.  For 2012, Metro EDGE is supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento, which works to inspire young people to dream big and reach th

The plink of a ukulele and the beat of drums filled the air when the Pacific Rim Street Festival took over Old Sacramento Sunday. Despite temperatures reaching into the 80s, thousands crowded the streets and plank wood boardwalks from end to end of Front Street to enjoy the celebration of Asian and Pacific Rim culture at the annual street festival. The day included a long lineup of events including live music, taiko drum demonstrations, arts and crafts booths and activities just for children. A bevvy of pageant beauties paraded through the streets during the festival, each one a winner in the 2011 Miss Vietnam Sacramento pageant. The festival is an opportunity for people to experien

Colorful paper lanterns, mesmerizing taiko drums, and scrumptious, egg roll esque lumpia will all be on hand at the Pacific Rim Street Festival in Old Sacramento this Sunday The festival, now in its 20th year, displays the richness and diversity of many Asian and Pacific Rim cultures. There will be music from India, Korea and China, dancers from Bali and Thailand and a wide variety of Asian and Pacific Islander arts and crafts to enjoy. Food vendors will be on hand to tempt you with Hawaiian BBQ, Indian naan and delicious chinese favorites from festival founder Frank Fat’s restaurant. The festival is held throughout Old Sacramento, and every street will offer another way to explore the

Have you seen the line-up for this year’s Sacramento Electronic Festival? It’s chock full of electronic artists of all varieties, well known and upcoming, spanning three days--May 3-May 5--taking over both Harlow’s and the Momo Lounge. Founded in 2010, SEMF’s third year promises to be bigger and better than ever. Sacramento365.com sat down with SEMF co-collaborators Adam Saake and Clay Nutting to find out the behind-the scenes scoop. How did the Sacramento Electronic Musical Festival get started? Adam: It’s a grassroots festival and even though we’re approaching year three we are in no way, shape, or form even done building the foundation of this thing. We try to keep that in mind, try to

Across Sacramento, knitted blankets and beanies are turning up in trees, on bike racks and on statues. A blanket made out of yarn covered a bike rack in front of The Golden Bear. Fire hydrants downtown were covered with beanies. These seemingly random acts of craftsmanship are the calling card of The Gorilla Knitting Crew. Candice Foster, known as Can, and her husband, Adam Foster, started the Gorilla Knitting Crew last June with their kids Bella, 13, Nieyah, 7, AJ, 6, and Lukas, 4, when Can suddenly found herself unemployed. Can said she heard people were “knit bombing,” putting knitting in trees around the world, so the family started hanging knitting projects around Sacramento. Th

This Sunday, April 22 is Earth Day—a day for appreciating and celebrating the planet we live on and meant to encourage people to give back to it. Activities surrounding Earth Day run the gambit from coordinated volunteer efforts to kid-centric activities to full-on festivals. Take a look at the list below for some options. Festivals for Earth Earth Day Celebration: Cesar Chavez Park & City Hall; Thurs 9am-2pm Come out and join for a free day of fun and interactive green education, carnival games, and great entertainment. The day includes live entertainment from Radio Disney and Magician Bill Devon with Top Class Magic, face painting, balloon artists, and more than 50 local vendors provid

The Sacramento International Film Festival has been a great promoter for local artist and filmmakers. It was at film festivals that movies like "Slumdog Millionaire" became known to the public and picked up all of those prestigious awards. Please come and support our local filmmakers and listen to the stories that they have to tell. Here is a link of the film festival schedule. http://www.californiafilm.net/page/sff-schedule  

The Brazilian Center for Cultural Exchange of Sacramento hosted Carnaval 2012 on Saturday night. The event was held at 1616 I Street amidst a venue full of festive music, dance and traditional Brazilian celebration. Brazilian food and drinks were available for guests, as well as information about the Brazilian Center and the services that it provides. The Brazilian Center for Cultural Exchange of Sacramento is a local non-profit organization that strives to assist at-risk children and bring the community together through culture, education and social justice. Several acts were featured on and off stage as they provided an evening of lively entertainment. Fenix Drum and Dance and the Hen