FIUTS CulturalFest 2024 | We did it!

FIUTS presented CulturalFest 2024 to an audience of more than 1000 at Benaroya Hall this past Saturday night.

So much pride, full of energy, and total fun were the shared responses from students and community members who joined us at the event.

Bringing CulturalFest to life happens through an intense amount of planning, practice and collective commitment. Three hundred students took part in CulturalFest this year - spending the last few months planning and preparing. They practiced acts and prepared expo booths in the FIUTS office, on their campuses, in residence halls, and in their homes across the Seattle area to share their own cultures and experiences at the event.

At the International Expo, students from 20 countries that spanned the globe from Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria to Niger, Mexico, and the Philippines. At the Turkey booth, guests tasted Turkish delight, while the Persian cultural booth spotlighted Iran’s lesser-known geography of islands and snowcapped mountains and explored the origins and use of the pistachio and saffron. Students and their families who put together the Costa Rica booth focused on woodcraft, the crown piece being a beautifully-painted model of the quintessential oxcart, la carreta.

The CulturalFest Performance Showcase featured 11 performance groups, sharing music and dance performances representing a variety of traditional and modern artistry. It was truly a great night and a celebration of the power of art to bring people together across cultures!

Join us next for Wednesday Lunch on March 6th and/or Monthly Potluck on March 13th!