SPARTANBURG, SC – September 22, 2011 – The annual Spartanburg International Festival celebrates Spartanburg’s diverse multicultural community. And multicultural it is, as people from more than 70 countries actually call Spartanburg home. The event not only brings the cultural spirit of Spartanburg to light, but it also provides an opportunity to share and be a part of such a vast cultural exchange. The festival has been bringing the world together in Spartanburg for 26 years now.

The daylong fall festival at Barnet Park is set for Saturday, October 1, from 11 am to 7 pm. It is free and open to the public. Organizers promise a world of fun and cultures from around the globe, including entertainment, food, music, exhibits, dance, and activities for the entire family.

We are very proud to welcome Southwest Airlines as the presenting sponsor of the 2011 International Festival, said Mandy Merck, Special Events and Festivals Manager. Their commitment to the Upstate area is very evident by their support of this wonderful and unique community event. They will have a booth set up inside the park where they will be meeting and greeting visitors and giving away lots of goodies, including inflatable airplanes for the kids.

We have maxed out our space this year because so many new groups have joined us for the event, said Festival Coordinator Jane Warner.  We have more food, more trade zone vendors, and more countries represented in our Avenue of Nations than in the 26 year history of the event. It’s very exciting to see the festival grow each year.  Countries are represented through food, educational displays, art, entertainment, sports, games, and activities in the kids’ area.

Festival goers will have an opportunity to learn more about Europe’s Nordic Region at this year’s festival as this area was selected to be the 2011 Honored Countries.  Exhibits and activities will fill the entire fountain area at the entrance to the park. There will be information from these Nordic countries: Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The American Scandinavian Foundation of the Carolinas will also be present educating visitors about this area of the world.  There will be several areas of the festival where Live to Build from Davidson, NC will have Legos set up where the young – and young at heart, will be able to play with the toys and make purchases. LEGO is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark.  The toys were originally designed in the 1940s and have achieved an international appeal.

The International Boulevard of Food is one of the most popular attractions at the festival year after year.   A record 30 food booths will line Converse Street (a new area this year) between Barnet Park and the Chapman Cultural Center, offering tastes from around the world. Festival goers can sample foods from Germany, Japan, El Salvador, France, Africa, Peru, Tanzania, Hondurus, Dominican Republic, Laos, Jamaica, and much more.  Food is purchased with coupons that are sold throughout the festival area for $1 each. There will be two Bier Gartens at the festival, so guests who are 21 years and older can also try different wines and beers from around the world.

Tourists can travel from Cambodia to Canada in the time it normally takes to make an airline reservation when strolling through the festival’s Avenue of Nations. Here visitors can see one-of-a-kind artifacts, beautiful clothing, and authentic memorabilia from 33 countries this year. Visitors are encouraged to come in the booth and ask questions – there’s even a list of questions posted at each booth. The Avenue of Nations is also popular because it’s here that kids stop and get their passport stamped. This year’s Avenue of Nations is represented with: Austria, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Haiti, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Latvia, Mexico, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Scotland, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, and Ukraine.

Shopping for unique gifts and items from around the globe is another treat at the festival. Visitors can purchase items ranging from Celtic clothing and European prints to hemp necklaces and Chinese cloisonné in the International Trade Zone from 25 artists/vendors representing China, Japan, India, Cambodia, Scotland, Argentina, Peru, Colombia and more. Some of the artists in the Trade Zone are Fair Trade groups, where their sales help support improving economic conditions and the quality of life for many folk artists in their home communities. Visitors can also get a Palm Reading or a Henna Tattoo in the Trade Zone.

Entertainment is a major highlight of the festival year after year. Visitors have the opportunity to catch 28 performances on three festival stages throughout the day as well as several strolling performers. You can see everything from strolling bag pipers to Middle Eastern Belly Dancers. The Worldwide Showcase stage is inside the park – the amphitheater stage; the Global Review stage is located at the end of Converse Street at Silver Hill; and the Kids’ Zone has its own stage showcasing everything from Polonez Dance to African Drummers. (See complete Entertainment Schedule attached.)  

Another popular area of the festival is the International Kids’ Zone. Children can play a game or make crafts from different countries around the world – all free.  Kids will have a chance to make petroglyph rock from South America; an Eye of God from North America; a Dala Horse from Europe and much more.  New this year is an area for free teen crafts as well. Teens will have the opportunity to make duct tape wallets, earrings, and paracord bracelets. Kids need to be sure to get stop by Immigration (at the entrance to Barnet Park) to get their passport, and start traveling around the world as they enter and leave 40+ countries.

It’s a scene reminiscent of a Disney Parade or the opening ceremony of the Olympics when festival goers line the sidewalks for the annual Parade of Nations – held at 2 pm. All of the participants who are in educational booths or on stage performing all join in to be part of the parade. They display a sign telling visitors which country they are from, carry their country’s flag, and follow the winding sidewalks through the park and out into the street as they travel the Boulevard of Food.

A trip to International Festival would not be complete without stopping by the Global Sports Zone.  Here festival goers can watch demonstrations of various sports from around the world and actually play some of them. Lacrosse, Fencing, Soccer, Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, Chess, and more will all be represented in the Sports Zone.  Visitors can also try their hand at a game called Kubb that is popular on the island of Gotland, Sweden, one of the honored countries at this year’s festival.

Festival goers are reminded that International Festival is a Smoke Free Event and that pets must be left at home. Free parking is available in the nearby St. John Street Parking Garage, as well as the public garages on Dunbar, Magnolia, and Kennedy Streets. The following streets will be closed for the festival: Converse Street from St. John Street to Silver Hill and Silver Hill, from Dean Street to Liberty.

The International Festival is coordinated by the City of Spartanburg’s Special Events Department.  The festival is sponsored by Southwest Airlines, Budweiser of Spartanburg, Coca-Cola of Spartanburg, SEW-Eurodrive, Select Health of SC, and WSPA News Channel 7.

Please visit the festival website at www.SpartanburgInternationalFestival.com for all of the festival details and join us on Facebook.

 

Entertainment Schedule

Worldwide Showcase Stage Schedule (in the Amphitheater)

11:00 am    Ballet Folklorico Internacional de Greenville
11:45 am    Star Makers Dance Company
1:00 pm      Hendrix International Choir
1:30 am      Miss Marion’s School of Dance
                     Carolina Youth Dance Theater

2:00 pm      Parade of Nations
2:30 pm      ZUMBA with Jessica
3:15 pm      Fencing Demonstration
4:00 pm      Layali Layla Dance Company
5:00 pm      Jaramillo’s Latin Dance Academy

Global Review Stage Schedule (on Converse Street)

11:00 am    Greenville Pipes & Drums
11:45 am    Fil-AM Dance Troupe of Spartanburg
12:15 pm    I-94
1:15 pm      Layali Layla Dance Company
2:00 pm      Parade of Nations
2:30 pm      Ballet Folklorico Internacional de Greenville
3:45 pm      XO Band World Music
4:45 pm      Salsa with Gordon Owens
5:30 pm      JJ and the Kid

International Kids Zone Schedule

11:00 am    Magic by Marty
11:30 am    Drum Circle
12 Noon     Magic by Marty
12:30 pm    Fencing Demonstration
1:00 pm      Christopher Laughter
1:30 pm      Magic by Marty
2:00 pm      Parade of Nations
2:45 pm      Polonez  Dancers
3:30 pm      Drum Circle
4:00 pm      Magic by Marty
4:30 pm      I-94
5:00 pm      Polonez Dancers
5:30 pm      Ballet Spartanburg

 

Strolling Performers

(Performances throughout the day)

Greenville Pipe and Drums

Christopher Laughter (German Accordion Player)