The city of Glendale is throwing a big celebration this weekend as it turns some city streets into a car-free party zone.
“Open street events are these wonderful ways for people to connect with each other, to discover neighborhoods, to meet their neighbors, to find businesses they didn’t know about and enjoy the public spaces that belong to us,” said Aaron Paley, co-founder of Community Arts Resources, which along with the city is organizing the Saturday, May 31 event.
More than a mile-long portion of South Glendale Avenue between Lexington and Chevy Chase drives will be closed to cars for the 10 a.m.-4 p.m. during the inaugural “Let’s Go Glendale” celebration that’s expected to attract up to 10,000 people to the city.
“It’s going to be like a mini festival,” said Paley, whose organization produces free public events and festivals including CicLAvia, which it produced from 2010-15.
For the Glendale event, people are invited to bike, scooter or walk through the area to check out art, cultural programs, food and live music. People will also be able to do a little shopping.
“There are going to be booths where you’re going to be able to buy craft and artisanal goods made by local people,” he said.
Headlining the day is the all-female mariachi band Las Colibri, which will perform its interpretations of traditional sones, huapangos and rancheras driven by their vocal harmonies and all-string instrumentation.
“They’re just wonderful performers,” Paley said.
They’ll be joined by Armenian folk group Lernazang Ensemble, which performs traditional Armenian dance and music. Local kids will also be in the spotlight as the Herbert Hoover High School’s Hoover Tornado Marching Band plus Herbert Hoover Jazz playing tunes while students from Cerritos, Marshall and Mann elementary schools will present poetry readings throughout the day.
“We are definitely hoping to start this as a new tradition in Glendale,” Paley said.
Let’s Go Glendale
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, May 31
Where: South Glendale Avenue between Lexington and Chevy Chase drives
Information: glendaleca.gov