2019 International Festival set for Sunday
Michael McShane
Staff Writer
There will be a lot of fun and entertainment for students and visitors to enjoy as the 2019 Mankato Area International Festival is set to take place Sunday.
With the opening ceremony starting at 11 a.m., Minnesota State University, Mankato is set to celebrate all that is diverse in the community in the Centennial Student Union.
The event, one of the largest in Minnesota, will showcase multiple different cultures that continue to grow each year. MNSU has hosted the International Festival for over 40 years now. This year, the event will be featured on Minnesota Public Radio’s Art Hounds.
This year’s theme is Fusion and Inclusion which Alissa Morson, the interim programming and retention advisor for MNSU’s Center for International Student Services, says is because with the growing diversity on campus and Mankato in general, the CISS wanted to make sure every student is welcomed at the university.
The turnout for the event is estimated to be around 1000 – 1500 people from all around the Blue Earth County area. People from the Twin Cities and nearby communities are also expected to come for the festival.
Entertainment will include music such as African drumming performed by Brother Ghana, Satori Violet Belly Dance and Aztec dancing. Low cost food will also be served at the festival including teriyaki chicken, stuffed potato chop and Kabli Arabic rice. Food will only be provided by giving vendors food tickets. Tickets for food can be paid for with either cash or card.
Children are not exempt from enjoying the festival either as Morson lists the many activities children can dig into at the festival, “There is a Children’s World, that’s a space for, kinda geared to children 12 and under. They can do take-home crafts, they’re activities, coloring all that good stuff.”
With the exception of food, parking and coming to the event is completely free of charge. Photographers will also be at the event to capture all the amazing moments of the event. Those who wish to not have their picture taken can notify the photographers and have themselves cut out of the shots.
The grand marshals for the event will be Pat Lueck and Dr. Jackie Vieceli. They will be involved in the flag parade to open up the event. The festival is scheduled to go from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
