Sunnyvale celebrated its 41st annual Hands on the Arts Festival on Saturday, marking the event’s return to the city’s community center grounds.

Sunnyvale typically holds Hands on the Arts in March, but its community center grounds were under construction through May. Aligning the festival with October’s National Arts and Humanities Month, the city postponed the event to hold it by the renovated pond.

“The grounds felt more just like a walking path for people,” said Jesus Raygoza, deputy director for Sunnyvale Recreation Services. “The renovations really made it a center for people to come and recreate or just hang out. It’s a completely different vibe.”

Thousands of community members participated in Saturday’s activities, which catered to families and children as young as three years old. Festivities started at 10 a.m. and ran until 3 p.m.

Hands on the Arts offered attendees 30 visual art activities — some of which included Ramadan paper lantern making and Japanese brush painting — in addition to performances from groups like Chitra Natyalaya.

Chitra Natyalaya is a Sunnyvale-based group that practices Bharatnatyam, a traditional form of Indian dance. Director Chitra Venkatramani said Sunnyvale has annually invited her all-ages group to perform at Hands on the Arts since she received a city award for her work in 2021.

Chitra Natyalaya performed four dance pieces on Saturday: the first two highlighted sculptural poses, the third worshiped five Hindu gods, and the final dance celebrated Navaratri, a Hindu holiday that runs through mid-October.

“Every community and culture is respected in the city,” Venkatramani said. “That’s the beauty of Sunnyvale.”

Removing the event’s admission fee in 2022 served to make the festival more inclusive. Raygoza said Sunnyvale’s Recreation Services Department is now working with the city’s manager for equity, access and inclusion to make future events more accommodating for community members with autism.

“We’re just doing this for the community,” he said. “We’re not trying to offset costs or make a dollar. We’re just here for you to come and enjoy our new, beautiful grounds now that we’re back open.”

Chris Ramirez is a California Local News Fellow.