On July 21, the second annual Festival Beverly Hills brought together nearly 3,000 attendees of all ages from 15 different cultures in a celebration of food, dance, storytelling and other activities at Beverly Gardens Park. The festival was made possible by the Community Services Department and Arts and Culture Commission as well as multiple partnering consulates, including those of Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia and El Salvador, and the Farhang Foundation, a nonprofit that celebrates Iranian arts and culture.
Families danced to Jewish soul music by Klezmer Juice, skipping and twirling as the group’s bassoonist encouraged members of the audience to join in. Colombian dancers who were decorated in red, blue and yellow watched Hawaiian hula dancers wearing leis and vibrant dresses as they moved in swaying motions to a vocal performance by composer Daniel Ho. Across the street, Mayan performers dressed in ornate feathered headdresses and traditional garments waited in line for Cuban and Colombian bites as street poets took the stage behind them. On the other side of the lily pond, families joined together for a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, where they could whisk their own matcha. Beverly Hills Mayor Lester Friedman and City Councilmembers Craig Corman and John Mirisch also took part in a drum circle led by Senegalese musician, Malick Sow.
