International Festival of Holland returns Saturday to celebrate world culture

Mitchell Boatman, The Holland Sentinel
·2 min read
Attendees and vendors at the first International Festival of Holland in 2019. The event returns Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, at the Holland Civic Center.

HOLLAND — The third annual International Festival of Holland will take place Saturday, celebrating the variety of cultures living in Holland and the surrounding area.

More:Holland's International Festival showcases cultural diversity

Organized by Holland’s International Relations Commission, the festival “creates awareness of our neighbors here and across the world in a fun, family-friendly way.” The free event features food, music, art, shopping and more.

This year’s festival will begin at 10 a.m. with the Haworth World Arena Soccer Scrimmage at Riverview Field. The game will include sixth- through eighth-grade girls and boys from USA Soccer Club and The Rovers Club.

Afternoon programming at the Holland Civic Center will begin at 3 p.m. with a series of mainstage performances. Following a welcome by Mayor Nathan Bocks, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi will give a presentation from 3:30-4 p.m.

Performances throughout the day include:

  • Moroccan singer Lamiae Naki and her ensemble Seffarine from 4:30-5:15 p.m.

  • Musician, songwriter and performer Samuel Nalangira from Uganda from 5:45-6:30 p.m.

  • Ensemble band Changüí Majadero, offering a modern take on Cuban changüí from 7-7:45 p.m.

  • Singer, songwriter and founder of West Africa’s first all-female hip hop group, Ideal Black Girls, Natu Camara from 8:15-9 p.m.

A children-focused event will be held on the second floor of the Civic Center. The Gentex Children’s Fiesta will include hands-on art stations by CultureWorks featuring activities highlighting art and design traditions from around the world.

They include Japanese origami, Suminagashi paper marbling, geometric designs from the Arab world, Maori tattoo art from New Zealand, Mesoamerican art and building with clay and natural materials inspired by Diébédo Francis Kéré's work in Burkina Faso.

The event's International Festival Passport Station will be open for children to get their picture taken and use stamps from different countries to show how they “traveled the world” at the festival.

Nalangira will also perform at the Children’s Fiesta from 4-4:30 p.m. — followed by Dragon Dance with Golden Tiger Kung Fu Academy from 5:15-5:45 p.m.

International foods and goods will be available for purchase at the event. A list of vendors and community organizations is available on the event’s website: internationalfestivalholland.com.

The International Festival of Holland launched in 2019, but was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — returning in 2021.

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Holland’s International Relations Commission was established in 1993. The group seeks to “build and maintain meaningful relationships between the people of Holland and the wider world through cultural, educational and professional contact.”

In addition to the International Festival of Holland, programs of the IRC include Holland’s sister city relationship with Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico, the annual Reel Time Film Series, World Affairs Council programming and various community programs.

— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelMitch.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Third annual International Festival of Holland set for Oct. 1