What you need to know about the 27th Annual Festival of Cultures at the Levitt at the Falls
Vanessa Carlson Bender
will hold its 27th annual beginning at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the in downtown Sioux Falls.
Presented by First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard, this free, family-friendly event will provide an opportunity for attendees to view dances from around the globe, as well as to listen to regional music, taste cultural food and make crafts.
"This event has always served as a bridge between varied cultural communities in our city," said Rebecca Kiesow-Knudsen, LSS President and CEO. "It's an opportunity for us to celebrate diversity and it helps strengthen Sioux Falls to be a community for everyone who lives here."
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Valeria Wicker, program supervisor at the LSS Multi-Cultural Center, said that with Sioux Falls becoming an increasingly multicultural and diverse city, the helps it remain welcoming for the people who come from all over the world and decide they want to stay.
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LSS is partnering with Levitt at the Falls once more this year to provide a centralized space for people to learn and celebrate.
The festival will start at 10:30 a.m. with a children’s performance by Sioux Falls Celtic and folk group .
At noon, headliner Awet Band will share Eritrean culture through music and dance.
Guests will also get a chance at 1:10 p.m. to watch East African and South Asian dancing performed by Kunama & Nepali youth dancers, will share some Celtic melodies at 1:40 p.m. and then Sundanese Darfuri dancers will perform at 2:10 p.m.
In addition to dances from around the world, the , a youth music group from Flandreau will sing and hold a drum circle celebrating Oglala Lakota traditions.
At 3:20 p.m., (formerly known as the Sioux Falls Chamber Music Collective) will perform music, dance, and poetry from around the world.
The event will close with Salsa dancing lessons with the , a performance by local Reggae band , a Parade of Flags and Grammy-winning conjunto band on the Levitt lawn—all beginning at 6:30 p.m.
New this year, visit the Global Village from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., sponsored by the , where you can experience a bit of present world cultures by sharing recipes, clothing and activities like henna tattooing and hair braiding.
Food is the shortest way to cross-cultural differences, and the Sioux Falls Festival of Cultures will welcome ethnic food and food trucks, including ,, Taste of India, and.
In the past, Wicker said, the festival was attended by anywhere from 3,000 to 30,000 people.
This year, the event will reach an even wider audience by live streaming through . Tune in at to experience cultures from around the world from the comfort of home.
"Experiencing the different cultures in our community is an important opportunity that we are proud to provide," Kiesow-Knudsen said. "We’re excited to bring people together to celebrate and learn about the diversity of cultures in our communities.”
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