The 35th annual Parade of Nations and Multicultural Food Festival is set to begin at 11 a.m. on Sep. 21. The theme for this year’s parade will be Holidays Around the World, with a logo designed by the winner of the K-12 Keweenaw student Logo Contest. The parade will contain performers wearing their own traditional dress along with floats and flags. Additionally, several university organizations, including the Huskies Pep Band, will be in attendance. The route for the parade has changed this year, and will proceed down College Ave. and Shelden Ave., concluding at Dee Stadium. The Multicultural Food Festival will occur an hour after the parade, where attendees can purchase a variety of international foods and enjoy multicultural entertainment.
The Parade of Nations is a chance for both domestic and international students to showcase their traditions and cultures, as well as sample foods from other cultures during the food festival. According to the official website of the Parade of Nations, over 50 countries will be represented in the parade. Participants will be dressed in traditional clothing from their cultures and march with their country’s flag as a way to represent their home countries. “International students will have a feeling of belonging and acceptance in our town and for domestic students, they can appreciate all the diversity that international students, faculty, staff, and the local community brings to the university and the Keweenaw Peninsula,” says Mariana Nakashima, Co-chair of the Parade.
Additionally, domestic students and residents also have the chance to celebrate their own cultures. “What we focus on is not only for our international students to show their food and traditions but it’s also for the locals to show everyone what this area is about,” Nakashima explains. More information about the event and how to get involved can be found from the Parade of Nations’ info page at www.mtu.edu/international/get-involved/parade-nations.
