Each year the Hopitu Shinumu (Hopi Indians) celebrate the winter solstice, bringing "the sun back from its long winter slumber" like a grizzly in the spring. In honor of the Hopi, Shokazoba (pictured) hosts Soyal, a solstice celebration featuring an open stage at 7 p.m., a drum circle led by Kwame (from Ghana) and the Shokazoba rhythm section, music by DJ Brando at 9 p.m. and the full Shokazoba Afrobeat Battilion from 10:30-midnight. The event also features food by Oh Sweet Mama's Vegan Bakery and Raw Daddy's Raw Pizzas and Snacks. Soyal is a benefit for The Vegan Bus, a Northampton-based organization boasting a giant green school bus that runs on vegetable oil and is dedicated to raising awareness of alternative sources of sustainable energy.
Dec. 20, free/kids, $8/general, 7 p.m.-midnight, Northampton Center For the Arts, 17 New South St., Northampton, (413) 584-7327, www.nohoarts.org.
