Argue all you want about San Jose’s cultural cachet, but it’s still a huge city with neighborhoods outside downtown that have their own character and charm. That’s certainly true of East San Jose — an area that includes Mayfair, Alum Rock, Little Portugal and Mt. Pleasant.
Those neighborhoods will be in the spotlight for this Sunday’s Viva CalleSJ, the event that closes miles of roadway to motor vehicles and opens them up for cyclists, runners, skaters and strollers. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the major streets involved are Alum Rock Avenue from King to White roads and White Road from Golf Drive south to Ocala Avenue.
A map of the “Eastside Quest” route for Viva CalleSJ, which is taking place Sunday, April 19, 2026. (City of San Jose)
Alum Rock Avenue is a delight to explore, with Latino markets and businesses, the historic Calvary Catholic Cemetery and James Lick High School along the route. White Road, which also was the main street for a Viva Calle route last summer, is much more residential, lined with ranch homes from the 1940s and 1950s. Connecting the two streets for the “Eastside Quest” route makes a lot of sense.
And if you want to take a break, there are four hubs this time around with live performances, food trucks, bike repair clinics and other activities. The Mexican Heritage Plaza will have Pro Wrestling Revolution and performances by Los Lupeños and Mariachi San Jose; Cimmaron Park will feature a high-flying BMX Freestyle team and a rock-climbing wall; Fernish Park will have La Olas folklorico dance troupe and DJ Music; and the Alum Rock Village will have live music on the SJZ Boom Box stage and an 11 a.m. visit from San Jose Giants’ mascot Gigante.
This is the first of three Viva CalleSJ events planned for 2026. The June 14 event will run from Japantown south through downtown to Monterey Road, and the Sept. 13 edition will bring Viva Calle to South San Jose for the first time, using Santa Teresa Boulevard as its main route. You can get more information on this Sunday’s event at vivacallesj.org.
SCHOOL SPIRIT: San Jose City Councilmember Pamela Campos welcomed Creekside School to the City Council chambers Tuesday to receive a commendation during Autism Acceptance Month. The school, which operates at the former campus of George Miner Elementary on Lean Avenue, provides a specialized learning environment for children and young adults with profound autism.
“Creekside is first and foremost a place of belonging,” Principal Katie Shepherd said. “We work hard every day to make sure that when a student walks through those doors, they feel safe and at home and accepted.”
Executive Director Megan Cooper said that Creekside also provides support for the families of its students and is launching an adult day program for its students because four out of five of them don’t have programs they can go to after they age out of Creekside.
The school will continue its celebration April 26 at its Better Together fundraising show at the Mayer Auditorium at Santa Clara University. Kodi Lee, a blind and autistic singer-songwriter who won season 14 of “America’s Got Talent,” will be the headline performer. The event, which will be hosted by Golden State Warriors in-arena emcee Franco Finn, starts with a 3 p.m. cocktail hour, followed by the program at 4 p.m.
Get more information about the Creekside School and the Better Together benefit at creeksideschool.org.
KEEPING IT CLEAN: This Saturday is the Great American Litter Pickup, an Earth Day event happening just about everywhere. In San Jose, one of the bigger organized cleanups is taking place at 9 a.m. at Arena Green West — site of that fancy new Throne restroom near SAP Center — but there are events happening at parks and neighborhoods throughout the city (and certainly in other Santa Clara County cities, too). San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has a link to pick-up events being supported by Beautify SJ on his website, sjmayormatt.com/clean-ups.
And if you don’t feel like heading to a park or signing up for something organized, a good place to start is making sure the street and neighborhood where you live is litter-free.