Treat your taste buds with Halušky and surprise your palate with Kukhura Ko Masu. From Norwegian lefse to Thai noodles, the Festival’s WORLD CAFÉ features more than 35 different ethnic food vendors.
2016 CAFES: African American, American Indian, Bangladeshi, Cambodian, Chinese, Colombian, Czech & Slovak, Danish, Dutch, Egyptian, Filipino, Finnish, French, Greek, Hungarian, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lebanese, Mexican, Nepalese, Nigerian, Norwegian, Pakistani, Palestinian, Peruvian, Polish, Sudanese, Taiwanese, Thai, Tibetan, Turkish, Ukrainian, & Vietnamese.
Reminiscent of street markets around the world, DISCOVER a diverse collection of ethnically-inspired crafts, toys, fabrics, clothing and more designed to intrigue any global citizen.
FORMOSA CIRCUS ARTS: 2016 VISITING GUEST PERFORMANCE
The members of FOCA come from different artistic worlds including acrobatics, stunt, dance, theater and more, who combine all these arts to concoct enhanced performance styles while preserving its core value. They further develop routines that reflect modern circus and actively promote Circus culture in Taiwan. Since the beginning, FOCA has combined traditional and modern elements, dance and acrobatics, street culture and theatrical works to set a bar that amalgams tradition and modernization. FOCA continually implements new concepts and pushes their creativity to develop a unique physical language and an original vision – exploring the relationship between the performers and the public.
– Friday, May 6 at 6PM on the World Stage in Roy Wilkins Auditorium. –
HEART OF THE BEAST PUPPET THEATER: 2016 COMMUNITY PARTNER PERFORMANCES
HOBT uses water, flour, newspaper, paint and unlimited imagination to tell powerful stories that explore the struggles and celebrations of human existence. Drawing inspiration from the world’s traditions of puppet and mask theater, and its lively roots in transformative ritual and street theater, HOBT creates vital, poetic and inspirational theater for all ages and backgrounds.
– Performances on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday –
Throughout the Festival, more than 100 music and dance groups perform continuously on three different stages.
2016 PERFORMANCE SCHEDULES
World Stage (Student Days) World Stage (Friday – Sunday)
Click on the links below to view videos of select past performances from the Festival of Nations.
Serbian (2015)
Assorted Teen Performances (2015)
Bulgarian (2014)
Egyptian (2013)
Indian (2012)
Artisans working in a variety of media present cultural products and practices from around the globe. For many, knowledge of their craft has been passed down through generations. Others became passionate about their discipline later in life as a means of reconnecting with cultural heritage. In any case, these interactive and educational demonstrations are a must-see!
2016 DEMONSTRATIONS: African Warrior Bow & Raffia Costume Making, American Indian Silversmith, Armenian Silk Work, Chinese Caligraphy, Chinese Lingnam Flower & Bird Painting, Colombian Fiber Wall Tapestries, Czech & Slovak Egg Decorating, Ecuadorian Loom Weaving, French Canadian Voyageur, German Star Making, German Porcelain Painting, Ghanaian Hair Braiding, Hmong Needlework, Indian Henna & Rangoli, Indian Traditional Painting, International Lace Making, Italian Bocce Ball, Japanese Kimono Demonstrations, Mongolian Yurt Building, Native American Beadwork, Native American Breastplates, Norwegian Hardanger Fiddle, Norwegian Folk Painting, Polish Folk Art, Scandinavian Viking Age Crafts, Senegalese Pottery, Slovak Straw Weaving, Swedish Textile Arts, & Swiss Woodcarving.
Our cultural exhibits highlight particular ethnic groups, allowing us to educate both about those peoples who have official country borders (via the United Nations) and those who do not. You can peek into the lives of other people and discover how beautifully different your worlds are within this single world.
You can also travel the world under one roof with a “passport” in our cultural exhibit area!
This is a fun and interactive activity for the whole family! Don’t forget to pick up your passport from any one of the information booths located throughout the Festival for only $1.00.
2016 EXHIBITS: Austrian, Bulgarian, Cambodian, Carpatho-Rusyn, Chinese, Colombian, croatian, Czech & Slovak, Danish, Dutch, Egyptian, Finnish, French, Greek, Guatemalan, Haitian, Hmong, Hungarian, Indian, Iraqi, Italian, Jamaican, Korean, Moroccan, Nepalese, Palestinian, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Sri Lankan, Sudanese, Taiwanese, Tamil, Thai, Tibetan, & Turkish.
The only luggage you might need for this world experience is a diaper bag! Bring your wee ones down to the Festival of Nations on Saturday morning from 10AM – 1:00PM. Discover the world through international family-friendly programming including youth dance performances, storytelling, and puppet shows. Strollers welcome!
Join us on Saturday evening as we explore the darker side of the world’s folklore. Visit the Thai cultural exhibit and hear the ghostly tale of Mae Nak Phra Khanong, learn more about Krampus – St. Nick’s frightening Austrian companion, and listen to legends of the Tibetan Yeti (Abominable Snowman). The evening will also include theme-inspired entertainment on the World Stage in Roy Wilkins Auditorium beginning at 9PM.
Green Card Voices returns to the Festival of Nations with their photo exhibit “Immigrants Telling Their L
ife Stories”, designed to advance their mission of sharing immigrant stories with as many people possible. The exhibit includes portraits of immigrants, their 200-word bio, a quote and a QR code (viewers can scan them with iphone/ipad and watch the first-person video story). The latter is especially a novel way to engage with the audience and has been received with positive reviews.
Learn the art of storytelling from some of the Twin Cities most accomplished actors and theater professionals through daily workshops! Discover more about the Guthrie Theater’s events, programming, and performances at www.guthrietheater.org.
Hundreds of students and thousands of families will have the opportunity to experience a little bit of the Language Villages this weekend at the 2017 Festival of Nations. Concordia Language Villages will offer language instruction in ten languages to school groups on Thursday and Friday (May 5 and May 6) and simil
ar activities and lessons to families on Saturday and Sunday (May 7 and May 8). This is a wonderful opportunity for families to learn a new language through Concordia Language Villages’ acclaimed immersion methods.
