Welcome to

Nowruz Market

We invite you to a celebration that transcends borders and celebrates the traditions of all who celebrate Nowruz. It’s a pleasure to bring you a Nowruz Market that is queer and celebrates the artistry of our community.

March 7th, 2026

3-7PM,

La Peña Cultural Center,

3105 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA

🕰 March 7, 2026 | 3–7pm 

📍 La Peña Cultural Center · 3105 Shattuck Ave 

🎟 $5–15 sliding scale · Cash or Venmo · No one turned away for lack of funds  

😷 Masks required (except while eating)

🚙 Street parking available 

🚃 8-minute walk from Ashby BART

Join us for the fourth annual Nowruz Market 🌱✨

We invite you to gather with us to prepare for Nowruz, welcome the coming of Spring, and spend time in community—surrounded by artists, food vendors, and culture keepers sharing their best work.

For the fourth year, our Nowruz Market returns as a queer celebration and an act of resistance—rooted in care, connection, and collective liberation. We know that this is a heavy time for our communities. As state repression deepens in Iran, the U.S., and across places our hearts are tied to, we resist through acts of joy and deepening with our community.

Come shop for Eidi, enjoy delicious food and preserves, handmade jewelry, ceramics, prints, tattoos, complimentary tea, and our beautiful Haft Sin altar. Supporting artists and chefs is more important than ever. We’re so grateful for the love and labor they bring—and for you, for showing up. 🌱✨

Markets of the Past

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Markets of the Past 〰️

We are excited to invite you to our upcoming Nowruz Market!

🕰 March 8th, 12-4PM
🏫 Oakland Asian Cultural Center. Above the Oakland Public Library Asian Branch.
🚙 Parking available at OACC for $4/hour; elevators and stairs from the ground floor to the second floor where the event is held.
🚃 OACC is located a five minute walk away from 12th St BART.
🎟 $5-15 sliding scale fee for entry. Cash or Venmo. No one turned away for lack of funds.
😷 Masks required except when eating.

Come and prepare for the holiday with us, shop for Eidi for friends and family, and reconnect with your community in anticipation for the new year and arrival of Spring! Nowruz Market is a queer event, which for us means that its purpose is to support us all on a path to liberation. For the third year, we are bringing you a Nowruz celebration in resistance to the powers that seek to capture, separate, and control us. It’s more important than ever to support artists and culture keepers. We appreciate your support for our artists and chefs, who pull out all the stops every year for this event, and pour their love and labor into their work.

The market will include delicious food, snacks, and preserves, handmade jewelry, ceramics, prints, tattoos and more. Enjoy complimentary tea and our beautiful Haft Sin altar!.

Thank you to Kian Lavi for these incredible photos of the market!

Vendors: Yasmeen Abedifard, The Color Studio, bigorangepersimmon, Najah AlBoushi glass, Shaverdi Torshi, By Juthi, Top Rami, absurdistan, Yasi Ceramics, SanaJoon Metals, Art of Nazook, Kabob kid, Nikki Behnam, Sola Habibi, Elikakitchen, Neeka, ra7aal, Shirini Bakes, Shivani and Kiya, Najva Designs, eating Sahar’s foods, Cozy drawings, Vash Tattoo, Nowruz Candlesticks, Aida Curtis Psychotherapy, YAAR, Fery Khadivi, Reyhan Herb Farm

A vendor at a table displays essential oils and herbal remedies, with a decorative arrangement of flowers, rocks, candles, and informational flyers.

Two people exchanging art prints at a market stall, with various illustrated prints and a price sign on the table.

A haft-sin with green potted plant, fruits, a lace bow, a candle, a framed photo, and floral arrangements.

A haft-sin with flowers, framed photo, books, candles, shells, and food items on a patterned cloth.

Salam community, as we slowly approach the Spring equinox, it is time to plant our sabze seeds, water our sombols and prepare our haftseen tables for Nowruz 1403 🪞🍏🧄🪴 🕰️

We are so excited to bring you another Nowruz market in the Bay Area, stacked with incredible SSWANA vendors to prepare you for all your haftseen needs, handmade gifts to give as eidi to your loved ones and delicious food and snacks to enjoy with friends and family. We will serve chai to attendees and have haftseen display designed by the lovely @aroosibylili.

Please join us on March 9th, from 12-5PM at 815 Alice St, Oakland, CA. The location is a 6 minute walk from Lake Merritt BART station

$2-10+ sliding scale suggested donation for entrance to the market. Proceeds will cover organizing costs and the rest will be donated toward purchasing esims for Palestinians in Gaza. Cash or Venmo. No one turned away for lack of funds.

It’s with love and deliberation that we are coming together to bring you this market, as we carry forward our cultural practices in direct resistance and opposition to the forces that make the violence of separation from our homelands possible. It’s in solidarity and our commitment to each other that we will be donating proceeds from the event toward efforts aiding our siblings in Gaza.

The market will include delicious food, snacks, and preserves, handmade jewelry, ceramics, prints, tattoos and more.

Looking forward to seeing you all there🌷

Happy Nowruz and Free Palestine🍉

Local Coverage

KTVU

Thank you to Ry Allred for these incredible photos!

A haft-sin with various decorative and refreshment items, including a gold mirror, bowls of fruit and candies, a book, and a bouquet of purple flowers, with people standing in line in the background.

Three handcrafted chessboards made with mosaic tiles, chess pieces, and various decorative items displayed on tables.

A person serving a beverage into a cup from a large container with sliced lemon in it.

People gathered around a table at an art market, showcasing jewelry and accessories for sale, with a small chalkboard sign and various craft items displayed.

Display table at a market stall with seed packets and a bowl of narenj.

A decorated halva on a blue ceramic plate, topped with almonds and a pink rose in the center, displayed on a table with a tablecloth, surrounded by other objects including a sign, a jewelry piece, and a business card.

People at Nowruz Market, with various tables and displays, some selling crafts or food, and some visitors browsing or chatting.

People browsing various booths at Nowruz Market, with tables displaying artwork, crafts, and small items.

A vendor stands behind a table of art prints and stickers at Nowruz Market.

Display table with jewelry, gemstones, an apple, garlic, a small dish of spices, a colorful rug, and other assorted items.

Interior of a room with a wooden spiral staircase, a disco ball, and various artwork on the wall. In the foreground, there are potted blue grape hyacinth flowers, and in the background, there are two vendors and a pink floral arrangement.

A table with various colorful items for sale, including stickers, postcards, and snacks. Behind the table is a plant with yellow flowers and some artwork on the wall.

Bird's eye view of Nowruz Market with two tables displaying various products.

Newsletter

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