Inaugural Festa-val to celebrate Columbus' international community on Sunday

Belinda M. Paschal, Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
Kim Emch, left, is founder and executive director of Festa, a non-profit that provides English instruction, summer meal camps and other services to families in need. Daughter Lydia is Festa's marketing communications manager. The organization will host its inaugural Columbus International Festa-val celebrating more than 60 cultures in the community on Sunday at the Franklin County Fairgrounds.

As the 14th largest city in the country, Columbus is a global metropolis, a home to a veritable melting pot of cultures. The many heritages of its residents are reflected in numerous cultural celebrations held each year: India Festival, Ohio Ghana Festival, Italian Festival, Asian Festival and the Somali Cultural Festival, among others.

Now there's new event that will honor the international community on a larger scale, with more than 60 cultures represented through live performances, art, fashion and food samples from around the world.

The Columbus International Festa-val will debut Sunday at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, 4951 Northwest Parkway, Hilliard. Running from 3-7 p.m., the event is the brainchild of members of the nonprofit organization Festa, which strives to help families overcome poverty and "go from surviving to thriving," according to its website.

"In the past year, people have come to Festa’s programs from 67 different countries, which inspired our goal of highlighting and celebrating our rich Columbus community at this event," said Lydia Emch, Festa's marketing communications manager.

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Kim Emch, founder and executive director of Festa, said in a news release that hundreds of guests are expected to attend the inaugural festival and the organization aims to increase attendance each subsequent year.

The International Festa-val's purpose is twofold: First, it seeks to highlight and honor the rich diversity of Columbus while uniting natives of other countries with their American-born neighbors to build relationships between people of all cultures, races, religions and backgrounds.

A young member of Festa’s 3-Generation Family ESL Program, which runs during the school year at sites in Hilliard and Dublin, shares his pride in his family’s home country of Jordan.
A young member of Festa’s 3-Generation Family ESL Program, which runs during the school year at sites in Hilliard and Dublin, shares his pride in his family’s home country of Jordan.

Among the countries that will be represented at the event will be Albania, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, India, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Palestine, Turkey, Ukraine, and Venezuela. Dance performances will range from Irish to Arabic to Polynesian and musicians will include Mariachi Guadalajara de Hector Cruz.

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Secondly, Columbus International Festa-val is a fundraiser for Festa, with a goal of raising $30,000 through ticket sales and corporate sponsorships.

General admission tickets are $10 for ages 18 and older and $5 for children 6-17. Children 5 and younger will be admitted for free. There is a $10 add-on fee for tickets to the tasting room, where guests will get five tokens good for one sample each of food from around the globe. Tickets can be purchased online at wearefesta.org/internationalfesta-val.

bpaschal@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus International Festa-val to celebrate city's many cultures