Weekend Round-Up: Arab Cultural Festival

I hope everyone's weekend was as hot and sunny as mine was. The weather in San Francisco was amazing and it was perfect timing because October 1st kicked off Arab Heritage Month in San Francisco. The first event of the month was the 17th annual Arab Cultural Festival which is thrown by the Arab Cultural and Community Center of San Francisco. In the past the event was held at Golden Gate Park and if you weren't involved in the community you probably didn't know about. Last year they finally moved it to Union Square and it has to be the best decision they ever made. There were thousands of people there and the sun was shining bright.

The crowd was jam packed into Union Square with people from every walk of life. It was great to see so many different people get together to celebrate a culture that is often seen as "scary" in today's media.

These girls were such beautiful performers. They call themselves Alsarah and "they're a Sudanese group they blend a selection of Nubian 'songs of return' from the 1970s-today with original material and traditional music of central Sudan." Loved them.

Oum Kalthoum is pretty much a musical god in the Arab World. I had to buy this "Oum Kalthoum is My Homegirl" t-shirt.

If you're a mover lover be sure to check out the Arab Film Festival that kicks off next week. There will be films in Berkeley, San Francisco and San Jose.

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