Welcome to La Peña! Promoting social justice & intercultural understanding through the arts since 1975.
Mondays, 4:00pm - 5:00pm $25 per class Drop-ins welcome Contact: Héctor Lugo 510-927-7984 hectorlugo65@yahoo.com This weekly workshop offers a fun, safe, creative and dynamic environment for children and youth to learn centuries-old music and dance traditions from Puerto Rico. Through drumming, singing, dancing, and storytelling students learn about Bomba, and Plena, and explore their connections […]
Exciting news! Our popular Salsa, Bachata & Merengue Dance Class Series is back, offering both Beginners and Intermediate sessions! REGISTER HERE Beginners Class Series (4 sessions) Mondays, Sept 16, 23, 30 | Oct 7, 2024 6:15pm - 7:15pm Join us and explore the possibilities of your body and learn how to communicate with others through […]
Interested in RUMBA and the Afro-Cuban Tradition? We have these 2 music classes back-to-back at La Peña that explore the musicality of Cuban Rumba and more! Note: classes are taught in spanish, but english speakers are welcome to join if you're comfortable with limited translation. CLASE 1: Lunes, 7:00pm – 8:15pm @La Peña LA RUMBA ME […]
BILINGUAL FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES with ANNA-MARIA FROM AGUACATE MUSIC KIDS For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Spanish not required! Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' […]
Join Maestra Lydia in singing and playing traditional music from South America. Students will learn to play a variety of flutes and percussion from the Andes, the plains and the coasts of Latin America. Tuesdays, 4:00-5:00 Youth ages 8-13 For information, contact lydiamillsmusica@gmail.com
Founded in 1979 by Chilean refugees and community supporters, La Peña Community Chorus has been performing Latin American New Song — Nueva Canción — for many years. Accompanying themselves on guitars, flutes, drums, and a large assortment of Latin American instruments, the Chorus has sung for schools, churches, homeless shelters, retirement homes, drug rehab centers, […]
Capoeira Angola with Grupo de Capoeira Balanço de Angola Wednesdays, 7:00pm – 9:00pm In person at La Peña Cultural Center **FREE Community Class on the last Wednesday of every month!** Come experience the spirit, music, and movement of Capoeira Angola with Grupo de Capoeira Balanço de Angola! We begin our class with one hour of […]
SPANISH FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES IN BERKELEY, CA For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' teachers are EXPERTS at creating a FUN, NURTURING, and DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE class […]
BILINGUAL FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES with AGUACATE MUSIC KIDS For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Spanish not required! Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' teachers are EXPERTS at […]
Experience an unforgettable night of Argentine music with Lautaro Tissera Favaloro: Tango, Milonga, Chacarera, and more at La Peña! Español El compositor y guitarrista argentino Lautaro Tissera Favaloro presentará un concierto de música argentina actual y tradicional, donde predominará la música criolla y sus diversos ritmos como el tango, milonga, vidala, gato, y chacarera. El […]
Join us for an evening of beautiful music and cultural performances as we raise funds for the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund Sunday, October 6th at 6:00pm, La Pena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley. Suggested donation $20. Today, the situation in Haiti could not be more dire. Government backed paramilitary groups continue to terrorize opposition neighborhoods. Six hundred thousand […]
¡Taller en Familia! Our Family Workshop is designed for children, youth, teens, and adults to engage in the practice and learning of the musical traditions of Bomba as well as Plena as a family. Together, families will sing, play percussion, dance and participate in a variety of activities to learn about Puerto Rico and its […]
Mondays, 4:00pm - 5:00pm $25 per class Drop-ins welcome Contact: Héctor Lugo 510-927-7984 hectorlugo65@yahoo.com This weekly workshop offers a fun, safe, creative and dynamic environment for children and youth to learn centuries-old music and dance traditions from Puerto Rico. Through drumming, singing, dancing, and storytelling students learn about Bomba, and Plena, and explore their connections […]
Exciting news! Our popular Salsa, Bachata & Merengue Dance Class Series is back, offering both Beginners and Intermediate sessions! REGISTER HERE Beginners Class Series (4 sessions) Mondays, Sept 16, 23, 30 | Oct 7, 2024 6:15pm - 7:15pm Join us and explore the possibilities of your body and learn how to communicate with others through […]
Interested in RUMBA and the Afro-Cuban Tradition? We have these 2 music classes back-to-back at La Peña that explore the musicality of Cuban Rumba and more! Note: classes are taught in spanish, but english speakers are welcome to join if you're comfortable with limited translation. CLASE 1: Lunes, 7:00pm – 8:15pm @La Peña LA RUMBA ME […]
BILINGUAL FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES with ANNA-MARIA FROM AGUACATE MUSIC KIDS For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Spanish not required! Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' […]
Join Maestra Lydia in singing and playing traditional music from South America. Students will learn to play a variety of flutes and percussion from the Andes, the plains and the coasts of Latin America. Tuesdays, 4:00-5:00 Youth ages 8-13 For information, contact lydiamillsmusica@gmail.com
Founded in 1979 by Chilean refugees and community supporters, La Peña Community Chorus has been performing Latin American New Song — Nueva Canción — for many years. Accompanying themselves on guitars, flutes, drums, and a large assortment of Latin American instruments, the Chorus has sung for schools, churches, homeless shelters, retirement homes, drug rehab centers, […]
Get ready to be moved, inspired and engaged! Join us for the 15th Annual Fist Up Film Festival for a world of thought-provoking cinema, carefully curated. We’re thrilled to announce our collaboration with Fist Up Film Festival for October 2024! Presenting contemporary films that leave a lasting impact, inspire meaningful discussions, promote awareness, and encourage empathy. […]
Get ready to be moved, inspired and engaged! Join us for the 15th Annual Fist Up Film Festival for a world of thought-provoking cinema, carefully curated. We’re thrilled to announce our collaboration with Fist Up Film Festival for October 2024! Presenting contemporary films that leave a lasting impact, inspire meaningful discussions, promote awareness, and encourage empathy. […]
SPANISH FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES IN BERKELEY, CA For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' teachers are EXPERTS at creating a FUN, NURTURING, and DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE class […]
BILINGUAL FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES with AGUACATE MUSIC KIDS For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Spanish not required! Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' teachers are EXPERTS at […]
Get ready and mark your calendar because the time has come for a new season of our Empowering People of Color Open Mic! And given the success of its first-ever iteration back in April of this year, we are kicking off the series with a special night dedicated to youth up to 24 years old. The goal of […]
Get ready to be moved, inspired and engaged! Join us for the 15th Annual Fist Up Film Festival for a world of thought-provoking cinema, carefully curated. We’re thrilled to announce our collaboration with Fist Up Film Festival for October 2024! Presenting contemporary films that leave a lasting impact, inspire meaningful discussions, promote awareness, and encourage empathy. […]
Get ready to be moved, inspired and engaged! Join us for the 15th Annual Fist Up Film Festival for a world of thought-provoking cinema, carefully curated. We’re thrilled to announce our collaboration with Fist Up Film Festival for October 2024! Presenting contemporary films that leave a lasting impact, inspire meaningful discussions, promote awareness, and encourage empathy. […]
Sundays, 11:30am – 1:00pm. Cost: Drop-in $35 Adults, all levels. This class includes basic skills, improvisation techniques, choreography, and developing skills to dance in a Batey or community jam. Teenagers with some dance experience welcomed (please email for info). Folks interested in practicing Bomba percussion during the class are welcome (some experience in playing Bomba is […]
Interested in RUMBA and the Afro-Cuban Tradition? We have these 2 music classes back-to-back at La Peña that explore the musicality of Cuban Rumba and more! Note: classes are taught in spanish, but english speakers are welcome to join if you're comfortable with limited translation. CLASE 1: Lunes, 7:00pm – 8:15pm @La Peña LA RUMBA ME […]
BILINGUAL FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES with ANNA-MARIA FROM AGUACATE MUSIC KIDS For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Spanish not required! Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' […]
Join Maestra Lydia in singing and playing traditional music from South America. Students will learn to play a variety of flutes and percussion from the Andes, the plains and the coasts of Latin America. Tuesdays, 4:00-5:00 Youth ages 8-13 For information, contact lydiamillsmusica@gmail.com
Come join The La Peña Old Guard* Inaugural “Third Wednesday” Gathering Social Hour 12:00pm – 1:10pm: Catch up with friends and make new ones over food and drink at Los Cilantros Mexican Restaurant, adjacent to La Peña. No reservation needed. Participatory Discussion Hour 1:15pm- 2:30pm: Participate in a lively conversation about current political and cultural issues vital to the progressive community. […]
Return of music jams to La Peña! El regreso de las mermeladas musicales a La Peña! Remember the music jams? All ages, all instruments, all skill levels, all welcome, all fun! Don't play an instrument? Come and dance or just sit back and enjoy the mermelada! It's Wednesday...don't you deserve some fun music and dancing […]
Capoeira Angola with Grupo de Capoeira Balanço de Angola Wednesdays, 7:00pm – 9:00pm In person at La Peña Cultural Center **FREE Community Class on the last Wednesday of every month!** Come experience the spirit, music, and movement of Capoeira Angola with Grupo de Capoeira Balanço de Angola! We begin our class with one hour of […]
SPANISH FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES IN BERKELEY, CA For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' teachers are EXPERTS at creating a FUN, NURTURING, and DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE class […]
BILINGUAL FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES with AGUACATE MUSIC KIDS For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Spanish not required! Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' teachers are EXPERTS at […]
Second BAILA of our Fall Season: dust off your dancing shoes for an epic night with live music & vibrant community energy! Join us for an evening featuring live music, not one but two dance floors, a gender-inclusive salsa and bachata dance class, a fundraising bar, delicious food from our partners at Los Cilantros, complimentary coat check, […]
Please join our community in celebrating artists and their work by attending Finding Freedom from the Inside: Stories Shaped In and Out of Incarceration! A powerful and transformative art show featuring works created by artists at San Quentin State Prison and Central California Women's Facility. This exhibition offers a rare and intimate glimpse into incarcerated […]
Sundays, 11:30am – 1:00pm. Cost: Drop-in $35 Adults, all levels. This class includes basic skills, improvisation techniques, choreography, and developing skills to dance in a Batey or community jam. Teenagers with some dance experience welcomed (please email for info). Folks interested in practicing Bomba percussion during the class are welcome (some experience in playing Bomba is […]
Every third Sunday of the month from 2:30pm-5:00pm in our Lounge! Join us for this Cuban Rumba Community Jam that has been held at La Peña for many years. Led by percussionist and culture bearer Bruce Williams. Free / donations encouraged Family-friendly event Bring your instruments if you have them!
Beginners Salsa, Bachata & Merengue Dance Class Series (4 sessions) Mondays, Oct 21, 28 | Nov 4, 18 - 2024 6:15pm - 7:15pm REGISTER HERE: bit.ly/SBMdance Join us and explore the possibilities of your body and learn how to communicate with others through dance, rhythm and flavor! This class is taught as "leaders" and "followers" […]
Mondays, 4:00pm - 5:00pm $25 per class Drop-ins welcome Contact: Héctor Lugo 510-927-7984 hectorlugo65@yahoo.com This weekly workshop offers a fun, safe, creative and dynamic environment for children and youth to learn centuries-old music and dance traditions from Puerto Rico. Through drumming, singing, dancing, and storytelling students learn about Bomba, and Plena, and explore their connections […]
Interested in RUMBA and the Afro-Cuban Tradition? We have these 2 music classes back-to-back at La Peña that explore the musicality of Cuban Rumba and more! Note: classes are taught in spanish, but english speakers are welcome to join if you're comfortable with limited translation. CLASE 1: Lunes, 7:00pm – 8:15pm @La Peña LA RUMBA ME […]
BILINGUAL FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES with ANNA-MARIA FROM AGUACATE MUSIC KIDS For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Spanish not required! Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' […]
Join Maestra Lydia in singing and playing traditional music from South America. Students will learn to play a variety of flutes and percussion from the Andes, the plains and the coasts of Latin America. Tuesdays, 4:00-5:00 Youth ages 8-13 For information, contact lydiamillsmusica@gmail.com
Founded in 1979 by Chilean refugees and community supporters, La Peña Community Chorus has been performing Latin American New Song — Nueva Canción — for many years. Accompanying themselves on guitars, flutes, drums, and a large assortment of Latin American instruments, the Chorus has sung for schools, churches, homeless shelters, retirement homes, drug rehab centers, […]
Capoeira Angola with Grupo de Capoeira Balanço de Angola Wednesdays, 7:00pm – 9:00pm In person at La Peña Cultural Center **FREE Community Class on the last Wednesday of every month!** Come experience the spirit, music, and movement of Capoeira Angola with Grupo de Capoeira Balanço de Angola! We begin our class with one hour of […]
SPANISH FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES IN BERKELEY, CA For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' teachers are EXPERTS at creating a FUN, NURTURING, and DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE class […]
BILINGUAL FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES with AGUACATE MUSIC KIDS For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Spanish not required! Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' teachers are EXPERTS at […]
16th Latino Film Festival: Kumbia Net! Film Screening + Kumbia Party. This film travels between Mexico and the U.S. to hear the stories behind the creation of the kumbia obscura genre told by the architects of the sound: Turbo Sonidero, El Cifickzer, Satanico Dr. Truza, and Amantes Del Futuro, to name a few. The roots […]
Come celebrate the rich cultural legacy of Nueva Canción that elevates the spirit, grounds the mind and speaks to the heart! Madeleine Zayas’s ensemble Grupo Sudamericanto and Special Guests present: Resist, Rejoice and Remember. Sign up tp volunteer and come for FREE: https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/1272933458064/false#/invitation STATEMENT We lean on the power of song to uphold our beliefs, […]
16th Latino Film Festival: Igualada Film Screening. In Colombia, a nation marred by profound racial and socio-economic disparities, a Black woman from a rural background challenges the status quo by launching a presidential campaign. Reappropriating the term “igualada,” Francia Márquez, catapults a movement to the upper echelons of power, by refusing to “know her place.” […]
Sundays, 11:30am – 1:00pm. Cost: Drop-in $35 Adults, all levels. This class includes basic skills, improvisation techniques, choreography, and developing skills to dance in a Batey or community jam. Teenagers with some dance experience welcomed (please email for info). Folks interested in practicing Bomba percussion during the class are welcome (some experience in playing Bomba is […]
Mondays, 4:00pm - 5:00pm $25 per class Drop-ins welcome Contact: Héctor Lugo 510-927-7984 hectorlugo65@yahoo.com This weekly workshop offers a fun, safe, creative and dynamic environment for children and youth to learn centuries-old music and dance traditions from Puerto Rico. Through drumming, singing, dancing, and storytelling students learn about Bomba, and Plena, and explore their connections […]
Interested in RUMBA and the Afro-Cuban Tradition? We have these 2 music classes back-to-back at La Peña that explore the musicality of Cuban Rumba and more! Note: classes are taught in spanish, but english speakers are welcome to join if you're comfortable with limited translation. CLASE 1: Lunes, 7:00pm – 8:15pm @La Peña LA RUMBA ME […]
BILINGUAL FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES with ANNA-MARIA FROM AGUACATE MUSIC KIDS For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Spanish not required! Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' […]
Join Maestra Lydia in singing and playing traditional music from South America. Students will learn to play a variety of flutes and percussion from the Andes, the plains and the coasts of Latin America. Tuesdays, 4:00-5:00 Youth ages 8-13 For information, contact lydiamillsmusica@gmail.com
Founded in 1979 by Chilean refugees and community supporters, La Peña Community Chorus has been performing Latin American New Song — Nueva Canción — for many years. Accompanying themselves on guitars, flutes, drums, and a large assortment of Latin American instruments, the Chorus has sung for schools, churches, homeless shelters, retirement homes, drug rehab centers, […]
FREE Community Class with Capoeira Balanço de Angola Last Wednesday of every month, 7:00pm – 9:00pm In person at La Peña Cultural Center Come experience the spirit, music, and movement of Capoeira Angola with Grupo de Capoeira Balanço de Angola! We begin our classes with one hour of music followed by one hour of movement […]
SPANISH FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES IN BERKELEY, CA For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' teachers are EXPERTS at creating a FUN, NURTURING, and DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE class […]
BILINGUAL FAMILY MUSIC CLASSES with AGUACATE MUSIC KIDS For babies, toddlers, and kids to age 6 and their caregivers. Spanish not required! Make an impact on your child's growth...start young with music & second language learning! Click here to try a FREE class! CONCERNED YOUR CHILD IS TOO YOUNG, TOO SHY OR TOO ACTIVE FOR MUSIC CLASS? Aguacate Music Kids' teachers are EXPERTS at […]
Join us for a meaningful Día de Muertos celebration in the Bay Area at La Peña Cultural Center. This event invites you and your family to come together in ceremony, honoring our ancestors and embracing a practice of remembrance, healing, and community. Let us guide the spirits of our loved ones to rest in power […]
Sundays, 11:30am – 1:00pm. Cost: Drop-in $35 Adults, all levels. This class includes basic skills, improvisation techniques, choreography, and developing skills to dance in a Batey or community jam. Teenagers with some dance experience welcomed (please email for info). Folks interested in practicing Bomba percussion during the class are welcome (some experience in playing Bomba is […]
Every third Sunday of the month from 2:30pm-5:00pm in our Lounge! Join us for this Cuban Rumba Community Jam that has been held at La Peña for many years. Led by percussionist and culture bearer Bruce Williams. Free / donations encouraged Family-friendly event Bring your instruments if you have them! More about the Afro-Cuban […]