Festivals for the rest of us

It’s a good weekend for festivals: The weather is nice, and even if we’re not celebrating Zoroaster’s birthday, Bangladesh’s Independence Day or World Theatre Day (all this weekend), festivals abound in Sacramento. Get your kicks at these Sacramento-area festivals:

Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival: Find a wide variety of quilting, sewing and needle-art supplies and exhibits. Also, learn about the latest products, techniques and educational tools in participatory classes, workshops and seminars. In some classes, you can make and take home your own creations. Visit www.quiltcraftsew.com to view schedules, sign up for classes and learn more. A $10 ticket will give you entry to the entire festival, March 24-26 at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Boulevard.

Banjo-Rama: Sacramento Banjo Band, a local 25-piece banjo orchestra, is once again producing the annual Banjo-Rama festival. The three-day festival brings locals and well-respected banjo players from around the world to perform solo and in ensembles. Attendees will be able to listen to concerts by Buddy Wachter, John and Dick Martin, and Charlie Tagawa, and participate in workshops on fingering techniques and turning arrangements into solos. Banjo-Rama happens at the Red Lion Hotel, 1401 Arden Way, March 24-27. A one-day ticket costs $20 and a three-day ticket costs $35. Visit www.banjo-rama.com for more information.

Israeli Festival of the Arts: The Safrai Gallery in Jerusalem, Israel, will bring its traveling exhibition, Young and Old Masters of Israeli Art to Sacramento. For three days, The Center at Twenty-Three Hundred of the Mosaic Law Congregation will be filled with more than 1,500 works of art. Entry is free and you can purchase paintings, watercolors and crafts for anywhere between $40 and $1,000. It happens March 25-27 at The Center at Twenty-Three Hundred, 2300 Sierra Boulevard. Visit www.mosaiclaw.org for more information.