Every October, downtown Plano’s Haggard Park becomes a mini-United Nations as the Plano International Festival celebrates and showcases the city’s rich tapestry of cultures. Highlights from this year’s event on Saturday October 1 include:
- 20,000 visitors experienced the sights, sounds and tastes of over 100 cultures
- New citizens were sworn in in the area’s only outdoor naturalization ceremony
- Children went on a Passport journey, sponsored by Rotary Clubs of Plano, and learned about the language and geography of 24 countries
- 86% of waste was diverted from landfill due to the Festival’s innovative Zero Waste initiatives; this was the Festival’s highest ever diversion rate
- 3rd annual Fitness and Wellness Fair served the health needs of many children and adults with free flu shots and a variety of free health screenings
- Fitness demos included a Yoga Court with yoga demos for all ages
- Blood donations during the Fitness and Wellness Fair will save 43 lives
- The Festival held their first ever foreign film screening as an added attraction
- The Multicultural Art Exhibit, in partnership with the Plano Art Association, added a new Gendercide Awareness Display, which is on display at the Courtyard Theater through October 30
“We are so thrilled to have welcomed so many people to this year’s event,” stated Festival President Graciela Katzer. “We really hope that everyone enjoyed the beautiful day and learned something about other cultures that they didn’t know before.”
The day-long event began on a serious note with the area’s only outdoor naturalization ceremony, held in conjunction with the US Department of Homeland Security. The candidates hailed from 39 different countries and included several service members. Plano City Council members David Downs and Angela Miner gave opening remarks, along with Festival President Graciela Katzer and Multicultural Outreach Roundtable Co-chair Mary Alice Garza.
After the ceremony, the main stage came alive with colorful dances and music from local cultural groups from Europe to the Americas, including the Dallas Black Dance Theater, the Scottish Highland Dancers, Ollin Tonalzin Aztec Dancers, Club de Damas Peruanas, Bolly Rhythms Dance Academy and the Chamberlain Performing Arts. Many of the performances were interactive, giving audience members a chance to try belly dancing and join in an Aztec friendship circle. “We hope that when people come away from the Festival, they’ll remember the wide variety of costumes and music and dance styles and appreciate the beauty of that diversity,” stated Ms. T.J. Johnson, who is a PIFC board member and sponsor and has served as the Festival’s emcee and stage coordinator since the event’s inception. “The performances really highlight our mission, to bring cultural awareness to the community, and I hope they help people to appreciate our differences, because there’s incredible beauty and strength in our diversity.”
Besides enriching the community with cultural performances and displays, the Festival also gives back to the community with a Fitness and Wellness Fair, held in the Courtyard Theater next to Haggard Park. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital is the main sponsor of the Fair and supplied free flu shots for children and adults. Lions Club International District 2X-1 provided vision screening for infants and toddlers, and the UNT Audiology Department provided hearing screenings. Other services included blood pressure checks, diabetes screening, and dental exams. The impact of the Fair will go even further, as a Carter Blood drive received enough blood donations to save 43 lives, and Lions Clubs accepted used eyeglass donations for distribution to people in developing countries who have little or no access to vision care.
A new feature at the Festival was a foreign film screening in conjunction with Indie Meme, a local non-profit that screens independent films from South Asia. The film “Gauru: Journey of Courage” was shown in the Courtyard Theater during the afternoon of the Festival and gave visitors a glimpse into life in rural India and the struggles of a poor shepherding family. The screening added a new dimension to the Festival and was well received by attendees.
The Festival’s Multicultural Art Exhibit, which showcases original works of art from members of the Plano Art Association, was viewable throughout the day and featured a new display from the Gendercide Awareness Project. The display depicts the number of missing women in the world today due to preventable societal causes such as female infanticide and preventable maternal death. This display and the entire exhibit will be on display at the Courtyard Theater through October 30.
More unique experiences awaited visitors along the tree-lined paths of Haggard Park where cultural groups showed handicrafts, textiles, artwork and other items from their culture, including Argentina, India, Brazil, Scotland, Peru, and many others. Attendees could also learn about services from local non-profits and various City of Plano departments, including police, fire, libraries, and environmental services. “The Festival really brings the community together in so many ways,” stated Ms. Katzer. “We not only celebrate diversity in a fun way, we also expose people to information and services that they may not otherwise know about. We feel that this is an important service to the community.”
The festival’s comprehensive Zero Waste program again achieved impressive results, succeeding in diverting 86% of waste from landfill, which is the Festival’s highest ever diversion rate. As in previous years, attendees were guided by trained volunteer Green Ambassadors who helped sort trash into separate bins for recycling, composting and landfill. To make this easier and boost diversion, the festival provides biodegradable plates, bowls and utensils to all food court vendors so that visitors can place their plates and food waste into the organic waste bins for later composting by the City of Plano. This and other green efforts have helped the Festival win numerous awards, including the 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015 City of Plano Environmental Star of Excellence Award; second place in the Keep Texas Beautiful 2012 Civic Organization Award; and finalist in the 2012 Green Source DFW Environmental Leadership Awards.
The entire event is organized and run by a committed group of grass-roots volunteers. All are strictly volunteers – the Festival has no paid staff. It takes approximately 3,400 volunteer hours and 12 months of preparation to bring the event to life. “We work very closely with the Plano schools, Collin College, local Scout troops, and other organizations to recruit volunteers,” stated volunteer coordinator and board member Nanette Boyland. “It’s a great way for kids to get community service credit hours, and we see many of them come back several years in a row. We couldn’t do this without our volunteers!”
The 2017 event is scheduled for October 14 in Haggard Park.
