Annual International Street Fair brings International Week to a close.
Students and locals will be exposed to new cultures this weekend as Court Street is filled with tastes, smells and sounds from around the globe.
International Week festivities will come to a close Saturday with the International Street Fair. The annual event has been going on for about 30 years, Miguel Gomez said, a senior studying physics and vice president of the International Student Union.
More than 20 organizations come together to put on the street fair, setting up tables showcasing cultures from around the globe through food, performances and other activities.
The fair attracts new people every year, but also brings back regular attendees.
“I love to taste different types of food, and my mom once had a belly dancing show at it. There’s always interesting international events,” Yang Miller, the audience experience coordinator at The Athena Cinema, said. “I love to get some good saag paneer at the Indian place.”
Saag paneer is a traditional Indian dish that is leaf-based with cheese and often eaten with naan or rice.
“I lived in New York for 16 years, so I had a lot of great international food. … In a town that’s middle class white kids for the most part, with college students and everything like that, it’s nice to get the diversity happening — food-wise, especially,” Miller said.
A majority of the tables at the street fair will feature International Student Union organizations from all different backgrounds. For example, members of the Southeast Asian Student Association will cook traditional Cambodian food at their table, Gomez said.
Semih Bedir, a second-year graduate student studying film and president of the Turkish American Student Association, recalls taking part in the festivities at the 2015 International Street Fair.
“We had a table and served Turkish food, talked about Turkish culture and had some samples (of culture) to show to people,” Bedir said. “It was great. I mean, it’s just a great opportunity for locals and great opportunity for internationals to talk about their own culture and celebrate together.”
Although food is a big attraction for fairgoers, colorful performances and activities for children — such as face painting — make the event something for people of all ages to enjoy, Gomez said.
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“I think that it’s a great way for the City of Athens to know that there’s a lot of diversity here on campus — letting the community know that international students here want to be a part of this community,” Gomez said.
With Number Fest and the International Street Fair falling on the same day, Saturday will be an eventful one for Athens. However, Gomez said it has not been a problem in the past.
“In the past, the street fair has always been on a fest. This is not something new. We’re kind of used to it,” he said. “It’s definitely not a problem for us. We’re targeting different audiences compared to (Number) Fest.”
The street fair also aims to educate locals about cross-cultural and racial tension seen around the globe and here on campus, Gomez said.
“I think it’s really important to allow people to experience new things, step out of the box, try something new,” Gomez said. “For myself, because of International Week, I’ve gotten to meet a lot of new people I never would have been able to.”
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