Beginning in 1998, this music, arts and yoga festival, dedicated to educating attendees on issues of social justice, non violence, coexistence and environmental sustainability, has become a staple of San Francisco. Growing from a crowd of 6,000 ten years ago to an estimated 60,000+ for this year's weekend event, PTTP is one of the nation's largest free annual music, art and action festivals with a variety of international musicians and artists, renowned keynote speakers and over 200 exhibitors/vendors.
The weekend-long festival begins on Saturday, September 6, with appearances by such musicians as Michael Franti and Spearhead, Ziggy Marley, Warren Haynes, King Britt, Cheb i Sabbah, and a variety of renowned DJ's and other international acts. Throughout the event, various speakers including Namkha Rinpoche Lama, will address these various issues on the main festival stage and participate in the Amnesty International Sponsored Social Forum Speaker Tent. The Mezzanine in San Francisco will host the Festival AFTERPARTY, featuring an Allstar Jam Session and DJ dance party. Sunday, September 7 will offer a day of yoga at Yoga Flow Castro hosted by Power to the Peaceful Yoga. PTTP is committed to working with the best teachers available to provide free yoga to those in need and to bring yoga to people and places around the world (prisons, schools, developing nations) who have never had the opportunity to experience its many benefits. Visit www.powertothepeaceful.org/yoga for class schedule and other details. Again this year, Conscious Alliance will host a Food Drive. PTTP attendees are encouraged to bring ten non-perishable food items to redeem for an exclusive PTTP Food Drive Poster. All donations will go to benefit the San Francisco Food Bank (www.SFfoodbank.com).
Past artists and speakers of the event include: Indigo Girls, The String Cheese Incident, John Butler Trio, KRS-1, Digital Underground, Woody Harrelson, Angela Davis, Saul Williams, Dennis Kucinich, Ram Das, Blackalicious, Alice Walker, Talib Kweli, The Coup, Keller Williams, DJ Spooky, Lyrics Born, graffiti artist Vulcan, Youth Speaks Poets, Julia Butterfly Hill, and many more.
International recognition of this event reached a new level in 2007, when PTTP went abroad, initiating events in both South America and Africa. No matter where this Festival takes place, it is committed to sustainability via innovative recycling programs, initiating partnerships with other sustainable organizations and encouraging the use of "green" yoga products.
For more information on the 2008 911 Power to the Peaceful Festival, please visit www.powertothepeaceful.org.
10th Annual Power to the Peaceful Music and Arts Festival Schedule:
Saturday, September 6th
Speedway Meadow, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Admission is FREE
Power to the Peaceful After Party
9pm, Mezzanine (444 Jessie Street @ Mint)
Music by Michael Franti & Spearhead, PTTP All Star Jam Session
with special guests
Plus live DJ sets
Tickets are $15.00 and available now at www.powertothepeaceful.org.
Sunday, September 7th
SUNDAY YOGA JAM with special performance by Michael Franti
YOGA FLOW CASTRO
97 Collingwood St. (@18th St.) in SF
Seane Corn
Shiva Rae of Trance Zen Dance with DJ Dragonfly
Nicki and Eddie of Maya Yoga
Janet Stone
Acro Yoga with Jason Nemer and Jenny Sauerklein
$35/class; $55 for two classes; $80 for three; $110 for four classes
Tickets available now at www.powertothepeaceful.org.
One of the most moving and politically charged writers, Michael Franti and his band Spearhead, return with their eagerly-awaited album, All Rebel Rockers, on September 9, via Anti-Records. Recorded in Kingston, Jamaica, with reggae's most prolific production teams, Sly & Robbie (No Doubt, Alicia Keys, Sean Paul, Bob Dylan), this new release deviates from Franti's previous sound and comprises a hybrid dub-infused soul flavor with some hard-hitting dub rock production. Alongside Dave Shul (guitars), Manas Itene (drums), Carl Young (bass) and Raleigh Neal (keyboards), the album also features ZapMama founder Marie Daulne and Jamaican soul/dancehall star Cherine Anderson.
Complete information for the festival and all related events can be found at www.powertothepeaceful.org.
Visit www.spearheadvibrations.com for information regarding Michael Franti and Spearhead.
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The 911 Power to the Peaceful Festival (PTTP) has become a premiere San Francisco tradition in its tenth year and is one of the largest free annual music, art and action events in the U.S. with over 60,000 attendees, 200 exhibitors/vendors, international musicians, DJs, athletes, artists and speakers.
Mission Statement: MUSIC. CONSCIOUSNESS. ACTION.
Power to the Peaceful is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the promotion of cultural co-existence, non-violence and environmental sustainability through the arts and music.
By bringing people together through music and art it is our goal to highlight the similarities and celebrate the diversity of all of the world's inhabitants.
Through our many International concerts, social forums, film festivals and fund raising efforts, we invite people of all ethnicities and faiths to strive for Personal Peace, Community Cooperation, International Co-existence and Environmental Sustainability.
We work closely with grassroots organizations, businesses and other non-governmental organizations (NGO's) to put on events that raise consciousness about the needs of the world today and inspire action that addresses those needs.
We strive to make each of our events more energy efficient than the last by constantly finding ways to reduce our carbon footprint as well as highlighting new energy efficient technologies.
Michael Franti (PTTP Founder, Creative Director, Producer) is an internationally-renowned musician, filmmaker, human rights worker and speaker and is a leading voice in social justice, the peace movement, death penalty issues, prison reform and and advocate for independent media. Rolling Stone defined the San Francisco-based artist as "one of this generation's most prolific, staunchest and outspoken poets of lyrical conscience." Michael has shared the stage with award winning and legendary voices for change such as Gloria Steinem, Angela Davis, Amy Goodman, Hurricane Carter, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson, Ralph Nader and Bill Maher and has given addresses at Yale, Princeton, Georgetown and Fordham Universities. In 2002, Franti received the Humanitarian of the Year Award presented by the international organization Global Exchange.
Power to the Peaceful Yoga is committed to creating an awakening in fellow yogis to take its practices off the mat and into the world through personal peace, non-violence, world awareness, tolerance and sustainability. Its goal is to make yoga available to as many first time yogis as well as long term practitioners through teaching that is considerate of all levels. All proceeds from Power to the Peaceful Yoga go to the Power to the Peaceful Festival and Organization, an annual event bringing hundreds of thousands of people together under the themes of music, non-violence, consciousness and action.
MICHAEL FRANTI AND SPEARHEAD TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM All Rebel Rockers September 9, 2008
