Court Street will be lined with booths offering food and games from around the world Saturday, while African dancers perform on a nearby stage.
In its 30th year, the International Street Fair will take over Uptown Athens, providing residents and students an opportunity to experience more than 25 cultures from around the world without stepping foot outside Ohio.
“The organizations will be selling food, doing cultural presentations, doing raffles, or small cultural games at their tables,” said Mohamad Al-Issa, president of the International Student Union, the event’s sponsor. “We have some performers, there will be dancers and a band. There will be a (dance) group from Japan, a group from Africa and a group from China.”
The fair is the culmination of International Week, a week that celebrates the diversity of OU with different cultural events throughout the week. Koko Kondo, this year’s keynote speaker and Hiroshima bomb survivor, spoke Monday and other events like the ISU talent show have also been held. Saturday will also be the first round of OU’s world cup soccer tournament.
Amanda Yusko, an adviser for the International Student and Faculty Services, helped organize the International Street Fair.
“It’s anything from Interfaith Impact to the Chinese Cultural Exchange group, all sorts,” she said. “For the 30th year, we compiled a yearbook that will be available in limited supply. It has the history of the Street Fair with pictures and mementos from Street Fairs past.”
The International Street Fair is made possible by a collaboration of organizations, including funds from the Student Activities Commission. The ISU contributed $15,000 toward the event.
Both Yusko and Al-Issa expect a large crowd Saturday and urge students to attend.
“How often do you get to see a celebration of so many cultures in one place, presenting food, presenting books, presenting paintings?” Al-Issa said. “It’s not something you get to see every day.”
Yusko views the Street Fair as a way for students to experience something new.
“It’s a really great opportunity to get out and experience new things,” she said.
“There are 100 different nations represented on campus. Get out and meet other people. Try something different.”
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