Ashkenaz

05/27/2026

EVENTS THIS WEEK ⤵️
5/27: Stu Allen & Mars Hotel
5/28: Quattro w/Paper Kayak
5/29: Tom Rigney & Flambeau
5/30: Khalifa do Accordion

Tickets and more information available at www.ashkenaz.com

05/26/2026

SAT JUN 20 🎵 🎵 🎵
Zaghareet: Wedding Songs of the Arab Word
ft. Aswat Women's Ensemble, Salma El Assal, Nicole Maria & More!

Doors 7:30pm / Show 8pm

Founded in 2012 by Nabila Mango, Aswat Women’s Ensemble (AWE) is the only all-female Arab music group in the United States. Based in the Bay Area, the ensemble is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of Arabic musical traditions, ranging from classical and folkloric to contemporary styles.

Beyond its diverse repertoire, AWE serves as a vital space for female agency, empowering its members to lead artistic and programming decisions through performance and collaboration. By centering women’s voices, the AWE nurtures a unique environment where cultural heritage and community empowerment intersect through the universal language of music.

For this special concert at Ashkenaz, they will be performing lively wedding songs from the Arab world directed by violinist Briana Di Mara, and will be joined by special guests Salma El Assal and Nicole Maria. Don’t miss this extraordinary night of music and dance!

Tickets:
Advance: $25
Day of Show: $30
Student discount price: $15 (Only at door—have your student ID ready)

Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

05/26/2026

FRI JUN 19 💃 💃 💃
Tablao Flamenco

Doors 7:30pm / Show 8pm

Join us Friday, June 19th for Tablao Flamenco!

Experience the energy of Andalucía’s flamenco tablaos—intimate, direct, and alive. Every moment unfolds in real time, shaped by the artists and the room.

Featuring Marina Elana, Melissa Cruz, F***y Ara, Jesse Torre, Marlon Aldana, and Cachito Diaz.

Tickets:
Advance: $25
Day of Show: $30
Student discount price: $20 (Only at door—have your student ID ready)

Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

05/26/2026

WED JUN 17 ☮️ ☮️ ☮️
Stu Allen & Mars Hotel

Doors 7pm / Show 8pm

A tradition started back in the 20th century, Ashkenaz’s Grateful Dead Night is always evolving. Led by acclaimed guitarist-singer Allen (of Phil Lesh & Friends, Melvin Seals & JGB, Ghosts of Electricity), a revolving cast of incredibly talented musicians inhabits Mars Hotel, drawing from the Grateful Dead’s vast catalog to delight Deadheads and dancers of all generations. A Mars Hotel show is always an energetic evening of good vibes, good music, and good community.

When it became apparent that Jerry Garcia had played his final show in 1995, Stu Allen began working to keep Garcia’s music, sound, and spirit alive in the concert setting. He regularly worked with Phil Lesh and has also played sets with Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann. Allen is perhaps most known for fronting Melvin Seals’ tribute to the Jerry Garcia Band from 2004 to 2011. He received more national acclaim in 2010 when he toured with Dark Star Orchestra. Allen shares the Grateful Dead’s commitment to making each performance a unique event, from preparation to ex*****on. He will perform multiple shows before playing the same song twice, and even then, that song will not be realized in quite the same way.

Mars Hotel takes this idea a step further by presenting a new band at each performance. Drawing from the rich music scene of the Bay Area, Allen has assembled a broad and ever-rotating group of musicians that makes each concert a once-only experience. As far as Grateful Dead tribute bands go, this is a concept that has never been done before.

Tickets:
Advance: $30
Day of Show: $35
Student discount price: $20 (Only at door—have your student ID ready)

Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

05/26/2026

SUN JUN 14 🎹 🎹 🎹
The Bob Dylan After Show
ft. Long Time Curse

Doors 10pm / Show 10:30pm

Shelby Ash Presents in conjunction with Ashkenaz the official unofficial Bob Dylan After Show!

Join us after the final night of Bob Dylan's two-night run at the Greek for the official unofficial Bob Dylan After Show at Ashkenaz. It's the Dylan tribute you didn't know you needed, but as it turns out, you need this one.

Long Time Curse performs joyous, career-spanning celebrations of Bob Dylan's music, featuring front-man Chip Godwin (Los Angeles, CA) and a collection of top-notch musicians from all corners of the country. This performance will feature Chris Vorhees (Knoxville, TN), Eli Salus-Kleiner (Los Angeles, CA), Jamie Daniels (Los Angeles, CA), Anna Elva Cucciardo (San Francisco) and more to be announced! Don't you dare miss it!

Join us. Celebrate. Dance. Drink. Be merry.

Tickets:
Advance: $15
Day of Show: $20
Student discount price: $10 (Only at door—have your student ID ready)

Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

05/26/2026

SAT JUN 13 🌈🌈🌈
MORTI-PRIDE
Presented by Mortified

Doors: 6:30pm / Show: 7:30pm

Mortified Presents: MORTI-PRIDE, an All-LGBTQ+ show!

Hailed as a "cultural phenomenon" by Newsweek and celebrated for years by the likes of This American Life, The Today Show, The Onion AV Club, & Entertainment Weekly, Mortified is a comic excavation of teen angst artifacts (journals, poems, letters, lyrics, home movies, schoolwork) as shared by their original authors -- in front of total strangers!

Where else can you hear grown men and women confront their past with firsthand tales of their first kiss, first puff, worst prom, fights with mom, life at bible camp, worst hand job, best mall job, and reasons they deserved to marry Bon Jovi? Submissions come from a wide range of participants, from professional performers to total amateurs. All in the noble pursuit of self-degradation. Share the shame.

For more information, visit mortified.com.

Tickets:
Advance: $25
Day of Show: $35
Student: $25 (at the door only with valid ID)

Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

05/26/2026

FRI JUN 12 😎 😎 😎
Eric Thompson's Dead Roots Revivial

Doors 7:30pm / Show 8pm

Legendary flatpicker Eric Thompson (Black Mountain Boys, David Nelson, David Grisman) has assembled a dream team for a fresh approach to the music of his teenage years, when he was a spitting distance witness to the birth of the Warlocks, soon to become the Grateful Dead. Thompson (at age 17) had been playing in several bluegrass bands with Jerry Garcia (Black Mountain Boys, Asphalt Jungle Mountain Boys, etc) as well as in Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, which also included his buddy Pigpen. He was living across the hall from Phil Lesh when the Warlocks began, but he himself had no interest in “going electric” and continued to play acoustic guitar, releasing a landmark bluegrass guitar album on Kicking Mule and, later, award-winning Cajun albums with the California Cajun Orchestra.

Dead Roots Revival includes:
Keyboardist and composer extraordinaire Sam Reider (Jon Batiste, Sierra Hull, Laurie Lewis, Paquito d’Rivera)
Lifetime bluegrass insider Corbin Pagter (Crooked Jades, Country Ham, Mt. Diablo String Band)
Percussionist and rhythm dancer Keith Terry (Crosspulse, Pickle Family Circus, Bobby McFerrin)
Multi-instrumentalist Paul Kotapish (Wake the Dead, New Vintage Revelers)
Bassist Mark Schatz (Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, John Hartford, Nickel Creek, Sarah Jarosz.)
Special guest fiddler and vocalist Suzy Thompson (Maria Muldaur, Jim Kweskin, Meredith Axelrod & Craig Ventresco)

Tickets:
Advance: $20
Day of Show: $25
Student discount price: $15

Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

Tom Rigney is one of the premier American Roots Music fiddle players on the planet. His band, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, specializes in blazing Cajun and Zydeco two-steps, low-down Blues, funky New Orleans grooves, Boogie Woogie piano, and heartbreakingly beautiful ballads and waltzes. Much of the reper...

05/26/2026

THU JUN 11 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Iko Ya Ya

Doors 7:30pm / Show 8pm

Iko Ya Ya (Pronounced I - KO - YAH-YAH): Since 2013, we’ve been flooding dance halls with the Louisiana-influenced music that gets folks on their the feet – what we like to call “swamp ‘n roll!”

Enjoy a full plate of our favorite New Orleans flavored dance gumbo—blues & boogie, Cajun/Zydeco, R&B, Second Line, and even a lil’ Country—all delivered with a Mardi Gras vibe!

From the San Francisco Bay Area, Iko YaYa’s members are longtime veterans of some other bay area favorite dance bands, including California Cajun Orchestra, SwingThing, CZ & The Bon Vivants, The Poyntlyss Sistars, Medicine Ball Band, Mark St. Mary, The California Blue Runners & The Mangroves.

Tickets:
Advance: $20
Day of Show: $25
Student discount price: $15 (Only at door—have your student ID ready)

Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

Iko Ya Ya (Pronounced I - KO - YAH-YAH): Since 2013, we’ve been flooding dance halls with the Louisiana-influenced music that gets folks on their the feet – what we like to call “swamp ‘n roll!”

05/26/2026

WED JUN 10 👯‍♂️👯‍♂️👯‍♂️
2nd Wednesday Balkan Folk Dance

Doors 6:30pm
Balkan Dance Lesson at 7pm
Social Dancing 7:30-10pm

Teaching by Nadav Nur and Susie Shoaf.

Discover the captivating world of Balkan folk dancing at our monthly event, where we revive the '70s-style Berkeley folk dance scene to the exhilarating rhythms of the Balkans. Join us as we pay homage to the spirit of Ashkenaz founder David Nadel, who first introduced Balkan folk dancing in 1973 by dancing to recorded music that captures the essence of that era.

This event is a heartfelt tribute to David Nadel and the music and dance that made Ashkenaz an award-winning dance club. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast of Balkan music or a newcomer eager to learn traditional Balkan folk dances, this gathering is for you. Dance teachers and fellow participants will be on hand to instruct and guide you through a diverse array of dances spanning Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, the Roma culture, and more.

Expect a mix of fun, easy, and more challenging dances. Come and be a part of this vibrant celebration of Balkan culture through dance and music!

Tickets:
Advance or Day of Show: $10
(Kids 12 and under are welcome for FREE)

Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

Discover the captivating world of Balkan folk dancing at our monthly event, where we revive the '70s-style Berkeley folk dance scene to the exhilarating rhythms of the Balkans. Join us as we pay homage to the spirit of Ashkenaz founder David Nadel, who first introduced Balkan folk dancing in 1973 by...

05/20/2026

SUN MAY 24 🎺🎺🎺
Balkan Sundays (FREE Balkan Jam w/Fanfare Zambaleta)

Doors 7:30pm / Show 8pm

Local community brass fanfares, FZ (Fanfare Zambaleta), are excited to host this coming Balkan Sundays, May 24. Bring your “axes” to join on tunes you know and dancing shoes to enjoy the middle of a long weekend. Ivan Velev will be teaching a dancer refresher at 7:30. Music at 8 until 10:30. Join the village: dance on the horo/kolo/oro line dance, free-style it, be merry, or a wall flower.

Fanfare Zambaleta (zambaleta = crazy street party with music) is an eight piece Balkan Brass band specializing in spirited music of the Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Greek and especially the Romani people. Combining a love of the classic brass bands of the past with the modern sounds coming out of the Balkans, Fanfare Zambaleta brings an irresistible blend of old and new to get you dancing! They've learned from some of the greats including Demiran Ćerimović, Džambo Aguševi Orkestar and Nizo Alimov (of Kočani Orkestar) and are now embarking on a new journey to write original tunes inspired by their deep love of the music.

Note, after this Balkan Sundays, we’ll be taking a break until the Fall. Be sure to check bayareabalkan.com to stay in the loop!

Tickets:
FREE!

Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center, or just “Ashkenaz,” is a historic 50-year-old international and Americana music venue and dance hall in the heart of West Berkeley.