Groove Merchants

When you wanna prowl a Real City, it's heartening to encounter a neighborhood that's nailed its identity -- Little Vietnam, say, or Gay Bar Intersection, or Block of Funky Indie Cafes. And when cultural fragments reach critical accumulation, the forecast calls for a festival, like the "first annual" Love MannaFestation in the somewhat hippiefied Seventh Street ’hood just north of Camelback Road.

The free fiesta features beaucoup arts, music, and poetry, along with playground games, prizes, and free daisies for all -- plus (because our anarchist utopia remains uninstalled) opportunities to trade cash for such goods and services as tarot and tea-leaf readings, food, beverages, didgeridoo therapy, and hookah time.

The fledgling event, sponsored by merchants including Two Hippies Beach House, Hookah Lounge, Go-Kat-Go, Urban Baby Exchange, Ticoz Resto-Bar, and Samurai Comics, is unaffiliated with San Francisco's venerable Lovefest, so don't expect an epic parade of aging ravers dancing in the streets -- yet. As we like to say here in the PHX, just give us time.

Proceeds and donations benefit Packages from Home and The Peace Alliance.