INCLUDES FUN VIDEO | See how this outer East Portland event has grown — exposing youth to the traditions of the many cultures who live in our area …
Many families come out to enjoy the 2023 “Multicultural Kids Festival”, held in Ventura Park.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Its organizers chose to draw attention to the 2023 Multicultural Kids Festival, taking place on August 20 in Ventura Park, with an intriguing slogan: “Celebrate the world in a day!”
Indeed, this outer East Portland festival turned out to be a, “Journey into the heart of global diversity, all set to showcase a rich tapestry of multicultural performances, food, and activities,” as they those who put it on had promised.
Glad to see people from many different cultures celebrating together, it’s organizer Timur Holove.
“Expanded from our Slavic Festival, this is the second year that we’ve held the Multicultural Kids Festival,” pointed out its main coordinator, Timur Holove, from the Slavic Community Center of the Northwest (SCCN).
“Actually, this is in addition to the Slavic Festival! Perhaps next year, we’ll be presenting two big celebrations here in outer East Portland,” suggested Holove. “We want to have the Kids Festival soon after school is out, and then have the Slavic Festival near the end of the summer.”
Providing information programs, and offering event T-Shirts to supporters, are volunteers Oksana Tkachena, Irina Ceaicovschi, and Halyna Seftsovych.
These performers, ready to go on stage to represent Iraqi and Persian culture, are from the ArtMax Academy.
“This is important to the mission of our organization, because our goal is to make sure that we celebrate the different cultures that we represent.
“It’s so diverse and so rich, we want to highlight all of it,” explained Holove.
Playing at the giant chessboard are Aaron Shaw, and Reza and Aaila.
In addition to its being an enjoyable community gathering, Holove pointed out that the Multicultural Kids Festival is important to organizers at the SCCN for another reason: “Our kids are the most vulnerable to being ‘sucked into the mainstream’. By that I mean that today, wearing jeans and T-shirts every day, many of our young people don’t even know about our costumes and traditional dress – the traditional clothing of their cultures.
“Our hope is to celebrate the diversity and celebrate the different many different aspects of our cultures – and bring the kids and their families to this park, where they can witness it.”
You get an idea of what this Multicultural Kids Festival was like by watching our video presentation:
The festival this year, which they hope to expand in 2024, was the “tip of the iceberg” Holove said – the six-hour celebration featured performers representing Latin American, Mongolian, Ukrainian, Indonesian, African, Chinese, and Middle East cultures.
In total, 22 acts took the stage with singing, traditional dances, and other forms of entertainment – including artists from the White Lotus Dance Group, Ballet Papalotl, and Island Soul Polynesian Dance.
This performer from the Eurasia Academy dances in a traditional costume.
The event featured a culinary tour with dishes from around the world, including at the National Uzbek Plov Fakhritdin pavilion, with meat being cooked on skewers over open coals by Chef Sanga.
Participating partners that day provided hands-on crafts, immersive activities, and fun-filled classes. There were also family-friendly attractions — like bounce houses, a climbing wall, and a petting zoo.
“We’re already looking forward to more events we’ll be providing for the community,” Holove concluded.
Learn more about the Slavic Community Center of the Northwest by visiting their official website: CLICK HERE.
© 2023 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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