The Solano Stroll, a beloved annual Bay Area tradition, brought together over 150,000 community members from Berkeley, El Cerrito, and Albany, celebrating its 50th anniversary on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. Stretching a mile down Solano Avenue between The Alameda and San Pablo Ave., the Stroll filled the street with live music, food vendors, and rows of tents from local businesses and organizations — including a strong presence of Berkeley High School clubs.
“It’s bustling with people. It’s very lively (and) there’s music everywhere,” Elena Trebbi, a BHS junior, said. “There are snacks and a lot of different people showing off their companies and organizations. It’s just such a great gathering,” Trebbi added.
BHS students represented a wide range of school groups at the event, from Jazz Band and the Robotics Team to Lacrosse and Rugby.
Nava Boyarin, a junior with the BHS jazz band, said the club used the day to fundraise and recruit. “We’re selling raffle tickets and getting donations, and we’re showcasing our bands — people are playing,” Boyarin said, “It’s a way to show we’re here and get some representation.”
For youth programs, the appeal is demographic. BHS junior Maia Wilsey, representing the Youth Literacy Project, said her team chose the Stroll deliberately after weighing other Bay Area events. “It was a place that we had all gone as kids, so we knew it was a big area for kids, which is our target audience — children and their parents,” Wilsey said, “Out of all the events in the Bay, this is the one that’s most likely to have that audience.”
The BHS Robotics Team brought a robot to present at the stroll to publicize and recruit youth to the team. “We’re demonstrating our robot and what we do through the team and community,” Niko Izquierdo, a BHS junior at the robotics booth, said, “Our goal is to inspire other people and get people to see what’s possible throughout the career and to show off to the younger generation.”
Alyse Green, a BHS junior, showed up to represent Amigos, a volunteer immersion program for teenagers. “I want to share with people my experience with Amigos, what I learned and the memories I made, and how much I learned about not only different perspectives but also about myself as well,” Green said, “I want to encourage people to join the program because it is truly amazing and I love every part of it.”
Local businesses and nonprofits were well represented too. Leslie Zeitler, a volunteer with the Berkeley Food Network, said the organization distributes food to anyone who needs it, with sites at BHS, Albany High, and the Ninth Street pantry.
“I think part of why we’re here is to have more people know about the Berkeley Food Network,” Zeitler said, “They distribute a lot of food every year, so they could always use more volunteers — and I’m hoping people can continue to help support us with donations.”
International organizations also had a presence. Max Rojas, who works with Seacology (a Berkeley-based nonprofit focused on island, creature, and culture conservation) said that the Stroll’s foot traffic made it a natural fit.
“A lot of people in Berkeley care about conservation and about seeing the world, and those are two things Seacology is all about,” Rojas said, “Conservation is cool. Whenever you do something like recycle, no matter how small, it makes a difference.”
Founded by Lisa Burnham and Ira Klein in 1974, the Solano Stroll began as a small gathering to draw attention to local businesses. But, over 50 years later, it has grown into one of the Bay Area’s largest street festivals, spanning both Berkeley and Albany and drawing vendors from across the region — proof, students and volunteers said, that the event’s original spirit of community hasn’t faded.