WHAT
California Arts Council 50th Anniversary Celebration
A milestone evening honoring the California Arts Council’s founders, recognizing distinguished Arts Awards honorees, paying tribute to artistic visionaries, and celebrating 50 years of creative impact in California.
WHEN
Monday, April 20, 2026
5:45 p.m. opening performance
6:30 p.m. ceremony begins
WHERE
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
1515 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
WHO
Artists, cultural leaders, public officials, supporters, and community members will gather for a vibrant celebration of California’s creative legacy and future.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
- Opening performance featuring BANDALOOP (see video from event rehearsal)
- Opening processional celebrating California’s cultural richness through dance and music traditions including Indigenous contemporary, Brazilian samba, South Asian bhangra, Hawaiian hula, Sinaloan banda, Filipino kulintang, Persian frame drum, and New Orleans brass
- Remarks from CAC Executive Director Danielle Brazell and Council Chair Roxanne Messina Captor
- Land and Peoples Acknowledgement presented by Wilton Rancheria
- Awards Presentation to attending awardees, including Cheech Marin — actor, writer, director, comedian, speaker, musician, and art collector, best known as one half of the satirical counter-culture duo Cheech and Chong
- Recognition of CAC founders followed by brief remarks from founding Council member Peter Coyote—actor, director, screenwriter, author, and narrator of films including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Patch Adams, and Erin Brockovich
- Closing performance by Sacramento Pop Choir
Media welcome.
Please RSVP to la@bystagedright.com.
