Festival of Cultures

Festival of Cultures takes place Nov. 21 at CSB

It takes the space shuttle roughly 90 minutes to orbit the Earth. On Saturday, Nov. 21, participants will be able to circle the world while staying firmly on the ground during the 12th annual Festival of Cultures at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University.

The festival, which runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Clemens Field House, Haehn Campus Center at CSB, is free and open to the public. It is an event that celebrates the diversity that exists on the CSB and SJU campuses.

The festival includes music, entertainment, food and cultural booths from over 30 cultures.

Performances include a Trinidad parang (a type of music with Caribbean and Latin American cultural influences), Japanese karate, Indian dance, Chinese song, dance and kung fu, Chinese erhu (violin) and American violin, Hmong dance, Vietnamese bamboo dance, African dance and Colombian music. There will also be a fashion show where students will model their cultural clothing, and food samples will be available from recipes students have selected to represent their culture.

There are 249 international students attending CSB and SJU this semester, representing 37 countries. The festival also includes U.S. students who have a strong affinity to other countries as well as varying cultures within the U.S.

The festival is sponsored by the International Student Program Office at CSB and SJU, CSB Culinary Services, SJU Food Services, Cultural Affairs Board, CSB Student Development and SJU Student Development.