Coming Up: Ethnic Enrichment Festival
Learn about and celebrate over 60 different cultures at one of the largest multicultural festivals in the nation!
America is a melting pot, and that’s certainly true in Kansas City. To promote acceptance and understanding, the Ethnic Enrichment Commission holds an annual Ethnic Enrichment Festival, inviting people from every culture to come and share their home country’s food, music, dance and more with others.
Entertainment
Starting August 16th and lasting three days, the festival’s stage is blocked off in half hour increments for each culture to display some traditional form of entertainment. This can include Slavic dancers or actors from the Philippines, Brazilian drummers or a Serbian choir. Watch as many performances as you can – it’s fascinating the similarities you’ll see, as well as the differences.
Food
While most restaurants focus on French, Italian, or Mexican food, it’s important to remember that every single culture in the world has it’s own typical cuisine. Some flavors may be similar, others may be extremely unique. At the Ethnic Enrichment Festival, you can try a lot of these. Sample kaw-tom-mud from Thailand, yassa from The Gambia, and Ethiopian injera. The people running each booth are excited to share their food with others, so be adventurous – you never know what you’ll like. Those with dietary restrictions will still be able to indulge with such a wide variety of foods available – just ask what’s in a dish.
Artisan Crafts
The craftwork you’ll see at the festival is stunning. Handwoven baskets, beautiful garments, pretty paintings, and delicate jewelry abound, all of it taking elements from the culture it represents. You could easily complete your holiday shopping in one day here, and because it’s made by artisans, nearly everything is unique. If you’re not in the mood to shop, it’s still fun to browse the booths.
