Festival of culture, faith this evening
John Rieping/Madera Tribune File Photo
From left, Diane Yusuf, Meyan Khalil and Halima Escheik hand out free samplings of Palestinian food at the 2016 Interfaith/Intercultural Day.
Cultures and faiths from around the world will be available to meet, great and — in some cases — eat at the 21st annual Interfaith/Intercultural Festival on Thursday evening at the Madera District Fairgrounds.
“The celebration has gotten bigger and better each succeeding year … It is a wonderful opportunity for all Maderans, young and old, to learn, share and celebrate the great diversity we enjoy in our community,” said Mark Colley, community outreach coordinator of the Madera Coalition for Community Justice.
Sponsored by the coalition, the free public festival will showcase cultural, religious and ethnic traditions through manned booths displaying clothing, foods, memorabilia, arts and handicrafts. Presenters at each exhibit will answer questions and share about their heritage. Music and dance performances in traditional attire will also be featured on stage.
“In the last 10 years, we have showcased music and dance from some of the different ethnic groups with the performers attired in their native dress including the Native American recording artist Lance Canales, who will perform again this year,” said Colley.
The yearly celebration of the area’s diversity will be 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Hatfield Hall, 1850 W. Cleveland Ave.
The festival has the support of Madera Unified School District, the City of Madera, The Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno, the Madera County Arts Council, Camarena Health and First 5 Madera County, according to organizers.
For information, call 661-1879.
