The 25th annual International Festival, 25 Years of Bringing the World Together, will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 12. This popular springtime event, organized by the staff and students of International Place of The Claremont Colleges, is expected to attract nearly 4,000 participants to the CMC Quad.
The International Festival is essentially "a gift to the Claremont community from the international students," says I-Place director Charlene Martin. As usual, the colorful festival will include foods from around the world and live entertainment. Limpopo, a dance and music group from Los Angeles with strong roots in Russian folk music, will perform at 1 p.m. as the feature entertainment. Other scheduled entertainment, presented by students, includes a classical Indian dance, a traditional Aztec dance, a Korean fan dance, dances of Latin America, and a "world band" featuring an eclectic mixture of sounds.
Food and craft booths representing such countries as Turkey, Ireland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, Greece, Mexico, and China are planned for the event. Admission is free and open to the public, with modest fees for food items.
With 726 international students from 84 different countries currently enrolled in Claremont, and uncertainty in world events, the festival's mission to provoke greater cultural awareness seems more appropriate now than ever, Martin says. "It will be a celebration of hope of what the world could be."