The annual Santa Clara Street Dance moved to a new location on Friday, Aug. 2. Franklin Mall was still the place to be, but instead of the band stage sandwiched between the post office and Illusive Comics & Games, it was moved to Jackson Street.
With the front of the stage looking along Jackson towards Benton, the crowd arrived early and settled in for the night’s entertainment. The crosswalk on Jackson served as a limit line for those who brought chairs to enjoy the concert, giving a much larger dance floor than any of the previous Street Dance events enjoyed.
“There’s more room to breathe and dance,” commented Kimo LaiHipp from Santa Clara.
But just because the band stage was relocated doesn’t mean Franklin Mall stood idly by. Santa Clara Sister Cities sold beer and wine and a variety of food vendors were on hand so no one went hungry. The new layout also allowed the Santa Clara Library’s Bookmobile to set up and use a much larger area near Benton Street. They had chalk available for making art on the street, games and movies for children. There was also a face-painting booth located nearby.
Joel, an enthusiastic 10-year-old from San Jose, was attending his third Street Dance in a row.
“The Bookmobile and movies were cool,” said Joel. “I like the music, but really enjoyed being able to play and draw on the street with chalk too.”
Even though the venue had a different setup, The Houserockers were not new to the Street Dance. Named “Best Cover Band in the Bay Area” as winners of KFOX Radio’s Last Band Standing Contest, The Houserockers are a 10-piece Rock & Soul band from Northern California.
“I love the Street Dance, but I love The [Houserockers]. I try to go to all their shows,” said Janine Watson of Sunnyvale.
The absence of booths lining Jackson Street gave the event a much more open feeling, allowing people to use the full width of the street.
While the new layout gave more room, Russell Steiner visiting from New Jersey said, “I love the new layout, but the food vendor area is way too dark now. When the stage was there, that provided a lot of light, but now that whole area is so dark and crowded — it’s an accident waiting to happen. But I love the Street Dance. This is my fifth year attending and I’ll definitely be back next year.”
The annual Street Dance is sponsored by the Cultural Commission. For more information about the Commission, visit their webpage santaclaraca.gov/government/board-commissions/cultural-commission and for more information on The Houserockers, visit their webpage svhouserockers.com.
I loved the new layout of the stage and booths.
I felt safe at the event cuz of the police and extra security they had that evening.
I enjoyed talking to the female police officers who were there with the police dept. fancy painted (red,white and blue stars) Challenger police car.
The Houserockers rocked the Dance Party! Awesome band!
I had a great time listening to the band with my friends
Owner of Illusive Comics & Games here- the new layout was far more friendly to us shops in Franklin Square. Usually we can’t hear ourselves think because of the band being next to the building and folks were deterred from coming into the shop because it was so close to the speakers and the stage. This year the music was a lovely distant sound and we were packed with new customers from Santa Clara that had never been in before. A HUGE thank you to the organizers and attendees!