This year's Norouz Festival will be held at Vasona Lake Park in Los Gatos. Though the 2004 event at the Mexican Heritage Plaza was deemed a huge success by organizers, many Iranian-Americans held their own family celebrations at Vasona Park. So moving the event there made sense to festival organizers, saying, in essence, "Let's go where the people already are celebrating."

More than 14 separate individual organizations are collaborating on pulling together this year's festival.

"We are all different organizations working together trying to make this festival work," said Niloufar Nouri, one of the festival organizers and executive director for Bay Area Iranian-American Voter Association.

Organizers are expecting about 12,000 people over the course of the two-day festival April 2 and 3.

The celebration begins after Sizdeh Bedar, the 13th day of the new year, is symbolically washed away--Sizdeh Bedar is the shedding of any bad luck from the previous year and any misfortunes associated with the number 13--and when the unsullied new year is ushered in with optimism for a fresh beginning.

But Matt Kamkar, an Almaden resident and one of the event organizers, said he hopes even more people than expected show up because the association would like to introduce the Bay Area community to Iranian culture.

"This festival is not just for Iranians; it is for everyone," he said. "We would love to show people the wonderful side of our culture. We want people to come enjoy the food from our culture, enjoy the music from our culture, enjoy the costumes from our culture. We are inviting them to come."

Kamkar said that part of the reason that organizers are hoping for a diverse turnout is so that the community can gain an understanding of who Iranian-Americans are. He said that he is concerned that Iranian-Americans are stereotyped and unfairly blamed for things that they cannot control.

"We are proud of our heritage, but some of us are deeply hurt that we are bunched together. We are productive members of society. We are doctors, lawyers, engineers, soccer coaches," Kamkar said.

Pointing to the differences and current tensions between U.S. and Iranian policies--and Middle East policies in general--Kamkar said that all Americans don't agree with everything the Bush administration does and says, and the same holds true for Middle Easterners.

"You have to look at the other side. Sometimes we feel like we have to defend a position you don't agree with. Don't judge people by the government alone," he said.

Kamkar and other organizers are hopeful that they can break barriers by introducing more people to Iranian-Americans and their rich traditions.

"We're no different than the rest of the community deep inside. We want peace in the world, too," he said.

Kamkar said the organizers want to keep peace in the neighborhood surrounding the park, so they are working to prevent parking problems and are hoping to have designated off-site parking areas with shuttles.

To control noise levels, Kamkar said, decibel meters will be on hand to keep volumes in check, and the performance stage will face away from the neighborhood and pointed toward the lake. The festival will feature many of the same entertainers as last year, plus a few new performers.

There will be music for all ages and many activities for children, including a balloon artist, face painting and a kids' soccer skills event. Organizers said they are still finalizing more activities and performances for the festival.