Eid Carnival at CSULB
By Sarah Admani

Pictures above: Glimpses of the carnival at the California State University Long Beach

The Muslim Student Association of California State University, Long Beach organized and hosted the third annual “Eid at the Beach” Carnival on campus to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha with food, games, rides and activities for the entire family!
Successfully we were able to attract community members from all across Southern California, all the way from San Diego to Santa Barbara. With over 3000 attendees, from friends of all faiths and backgrounds, this event has opened up the city of Long Beach as well as the University to be a part of a joyous occasion. Providing an atmosphere of international foods, craft vendors and information booths, the event has educated and informed families and friends about the Muslim community in California.
Throughout the event, a wide range of activities and entertainment took place. The reptile guy brought about amazement among the afternoon crowd of old and young with his friendly snakes and lizards. Following that was the mad scientist, who flared rockets and created displays of colors and smoke as the crowd watched in awe.
The venue of the event was echoing with laughter as children of all ages were busy enjoying a variety of rides that included jumpers, mega slide, sumo wrestling, obstacle course, basketball hoops, and the most popular ride, the train.
Another favorite stop was the henna and face painting booth.
After Zuhr prayer, kids competed in the sack races to win cool prizes. Islamic Entertainment was a crowd pleaser with Spoken Word and Manifest One. Participating vendors exhibited Qur’an Cds and DVDs, hijabs, jilbabs, shawls, jewelry, shalwar kameez, skirts, Islamic clothing and books, and graphic t-shirts.
Among the non-profit organizations that participated were Ummah Clinic, Al-Maghrib, IslamiCity, CAIR, MSA West, Islamic Relief, and MAS. Other vendors included West Co Realty, IGM Printing, Trey Q, Islamic Trends, Khatun Creation, Hijab Company, Dubai Fashions, and Tajooj Fashions.
This year the aromas of  the Mediterranean and Pakistani cuisine filled the air from Magic Lamp and Mehzban restaurants. Along with sodas and water, Juice it up smoothies were available to quench the thirst of the crowd. Youth groups and the MSA of CSULB provided fresh pizza, nachos, popcorn, and cotton candy.
The Planning Committee included thirteen dedicated people who worked endless hours for six-seven months. These organizers were: Naadiya Patel, Hironao Okahana, Mouada Labanieh, Sarah Admani, Asma Mana, Hamza Abedin, Dema Khouraki, Farah Admani, Zahra Billoo, Zainab Jaber, Lina Nasry, Nida Admani and Nour Kweider. Thanks to all the volunteers who contributed their time and effort in helping out with everything from making the word “Eid” out of balloons, the balloon arch, and running the show from dawn to dusk.
The highly organized event was made possible by our generous sponsors Hotwired Marketing, Islamic Relief, CAIR, Ummah Clinic, IGM Printing, ISOC, and Pakistan Link. Insh’Allah the MSA of CULB hopes to make the next carnival more spectacular.

 

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