From customized oil paintings of your pets, to tarot card readings, to the University Of California Berkeley Police Department, to making your own crayon stations, to the beloved snake ‘Friendly’ who has met over 7,000 kids, the Solano Stroll is always full of excitement and family friendly activities. The Solano Stroll is a nonprofit that was founded in 1974 and is now the largest street festival in the east bay. The Solano Stroll takes place annually in Berkeley and Albany, and this year marks the 49th anniversary of the event. When the Stroll was first organized, the Solano Avenue Association reported only 100 attendees. This year, over 100,000 people were expected to attend the event showcasing vendors, entertainers, and small businesses.
New features this year included a wrestling ring, novel musical performances, and a battery-powered train along with old favorites such as Berkeley Humane’s booth offering pets for adoption. The Solano Avenue Association is dedicated to building community through events and enhancements of the street, such as coordinating with Albany and Berkeley police departments to maintain a safe environment, as well as organizing a volunteer trash clean-up to keep the avenue pristine.
Many Berkeley High School students attend the Solano Stroll. Kabir Hermon, a BHS junior, said, “I see lots of people from school. It’s just really fun and bustling, and (there’s) lots of nice, cool things.” Students like Lila Dooley, a BHS junior, also run booths. Dooley was stationed at the booth of Brushstrokes, a pottery painting studio in Berkeley. “I think (the Solano Stroll) is a great community, and a great way to bring the community together and learn about small businesses,” Dooley said.
Another BHS student who helped operate a booth was BHS senior Eva Levenson, an active member of the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany, and Emeryville. The League is dedicated to promoting democracy by encouraging as many people as possible to vote. “I feel like a lot of people (at the stroll) are already registered or are immigrants, but we get a few people registered. And I think it’s really about bringing awareness and reminding people that we actually do have a ballot this November,” Levenson said.
This year’s Solano Stroll hosted over 400 vendors, including the popular Golden Gate Stereoscopic Society, which attracted people of all ages to its booth featuring 3D photos. It provided “an opportunity for us to introduce ourselves to people who are interested in (stereoscopic) photography, and hopefully they’ll be interested in joining our club,” Mat Bergman, the president of the society, said.
“Our goal is to get as many people to view and enjoy our photography as possible, and that’s really why we’re here,” Bergman said. The Golden Gate Stereoscopic Society non-profit has been active since 1934. “It’s great for us, because people come and enjoy it, and we just get a lot more exposure than we do at our regular club meetings,” Bergman added.
The well known “Big Bubble People” act was also back this year, streaming huge bubbles into a crowd of frantic kids, as well as the BHS robotics team and the BHS Jazz Ensemble who entertained strollers with performances at their booths. There were also multiple dance performances ranging from interactive folk dancing to Oakland Taiko drumming while The karaoke booth by Melodee Cocktails booth drew in people of all ages to sing their favorite hits. Ralph Zaragoza, the owner, who has been running a booth for 14 years, explained that the Stroll is “a great way to attract new people to the bar.”
The Solano Avenue Stroll’s history page reads that “In the year 2000, the Solano Avenue Stroll became an official ‘Local Legacy,’ installed into the United States Library of Congress with the help of Congresswoman Barbara Lee. The Solano Avenue Stroll celebrates America’s rich diverse culture.”