Southern California group Project 26 performing at Unity Day.

As children rode roller coasters and ate cotton candy, the daily Islamic prayer was held throughout the day and food from various ethnic backgrounds served.

America’s melting pot shined as people of "all walks for life, and all ethnic backgrounds" listened to music and enjoyed their day said Amal Qazi,, 24, from Corona, who made the road trip to northern California with her husband, Ali Qazi, her one-year-old son and friends.

The Qazi caravan included Ali Qazi’s band, Project 26, that shared the stage with various other Muslim performers at Unity Day, some of which were Mol’rockin Project and After Hijrah.

Comedian Ahmed Ahmed joined the fray, which Amal and the others thoroughly enjoyed.

Comedian Ahmed Ahmed at Unity Day.

Henna Parekh of San Jose said the event served to cultivate an identity for Muslim youth. Her three children got a thrill from the rides and her 9-year-old daughter, Zahra, said, "It felt so nice being around all these Muslims gathering in a place for a day every year."

Parekh’s only recommendation was to make it more of a bridge-building event by having more non-Muslims interact with Muslims and try the food and eat and mingle together.

For Qazi, the event was an indication to the larger community that Muslims are part and parcel of the American fabric.

"These kinds of events are great," she said. "They show that Muslims are no different from other Americans. We like to have fun. We are not all about issues that go around the world. We take our family out and we do all the normal American cultural things." 

Attendees enjoy a water ride.