Welcome to the 3rd Annual Calenda on Cal Ave, September 26, 2026!
The Calenda takes place on the car-free zone of California Avenue
Parking is available in the city lots surrounding the area and in the large public lot located off Sherman Avenue
What is a Calenda? A Calenda is a joyful, moving community parade filled with music, dancing, and sometimes giant puppets.
This year’s Calenda will celebrate cultures from across 3 continents, with celebrations from our Sister Cities of Maasai Mara, Kenya; Oaxaca, Mexico and Palo, Leyte, Philippines.
Join us for:
Children’s Activities
Displays of dancing from Mexico and the Philippines as well as interactive Maasai dancing
Vendors selling items from these countries
Mezcal tasting
Music
And much, much more
Performance Schedule (Subject to change):
3:00 - 4:00 - Stanford Mariachi
4:00 - 5:00 - Mabuhay Folkloric Society
Members of Maasai Diaspora lead interactive dance
5:00 - 6:00 - Ballet Folklorico Mexico Vivo
5:00 - 7:00 -Mezcal tasting at Sun of Wolf
6:00 - Quartet from Peninsula Cantare
Closing out - More Maasai dancing!
Featured Activities:
Kids' Zone (starting at 3:00 pm, while supplies last)
Cultural crafts
Merchant passport with prizes
Games
Tourism information from Oaxaca, Philippines, and Kenya
Photo Booth
Live Paint by local muralist Venazir
participating merchants
La Bodeguita del Medio (Enjoy Cuban Happy Hour from noon to 5:00 pm)
Zareens (Stop by for a special treat for kids)
See pictures and information from last year’s Calenda below
Part of the rich cultural fabric of Oaxaca, calendas are colorful, celebratory public processions featuring dancing, music, and good family fun: part street party and part parade.
At our most recent calenda, in September 2025, we were thrilled to welcome a delegation from our Mexican Sister City, who joined Palo Alto families for an afternoon of festivity, fun, and firefighters. Neighbors Abroad has a proud, decades-long tradition of working with the city of Palo Alto to donate fire and emergency equipment to Oaxaca — from engines to gear — and our friends in the fire department showed up in style to hand over a new batch of protective equipment. Muchas gracias, bomberos!
Beyond the lively music and dancing, the celebration also featured tastings of Oaxaca's signature mole and mezcal, uplifting words from Mayor Ed Lauing and members of the delegation, and a whole lot of community spirit.
This free event has become a Neighbors Abroad tradition — mark your calendars, and nos vemos el próximo año!
