From food trucks to cultural fashions to fun activities for kids, there’s something for everyone at the Plano International Festival where visitors can tour the world in a day. With free parking and admission, it’s the perfect family outing.
The festival offers the community a rare chance to experience the sights, sounds and tastes of over 100 cultures in one place. Set in Haggard Park and the Courtyard Theater, along 15th Street and H Avenue in downtown Plano, the festival will feature a wide variety of entertainment, services and activities that everyone can enjoy:
• Food trucks will offer classic festival treats such as funnel cakes and corn dogs plus ethnic fare such as Korean bibimbap, Japanese tempura and teriyaki dishes, Thai fried rice, Mexican street food, and sweet treats such as boba tea, shaved ice and mini donuts.
• A heritage fashion show will showcase stunning and colorful traditional attire from over 20 cultures, from Austria to Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and more.
• A festival Passport activity lets kids tour the country booths and earn stamps and a prize!
• The main stage will feature continuous multicultural entertainment from every region of the world, including Spanish Flamenco dances, Egyptian belly dancing, Indian classical and folk dancing, Mexican Ballet Folklorico, Japanese sumo wrestling demos, and many more.
• A plethora of cultural booths will showcase items and artifacts that represent each culture’s unique heritage. Visitors can also shop for treasures from around the world and learn about important services offered by local community groups and civic and non-profit organizations.
The festival offers more than cultural education and entertainment. From 11am to 2pm, visitors can take advantage of free health services and screenings at the Wellness Fair. Local providers such as Texas Health Presbyterian Plano, Medical City Plano, Walmart Vision, Colgate Dental Van, and many others will be on hand to offer free services, screenings and education, such as:
• Vision and dental exams
• Flu shots for children and adults
• Children’s haircuts
• Chair massages
• Blood pressure, glucose, BMI and other screenings
• A Carter Blood Drive
• CPR demos
• Information about cancer risk factors and pre-screening for free mammograms
• Exams for balance, strength, coordination and fall risk
• Skin analysis
• Screenings for communicable diseases
• Information and education about Medicaid enrollment
• And many more.
A full list of services and providers is at https://www.planointernationalfestival.org/index.php/wellness-fitzone.
All services and screenings are free of charge and are held in the Courtyard Theater, 1509 H Ave, Plano, 75074, which is located just across from Haggard Park.
Also from 11am to 2pm, the FitZone will be holding mini fitness classes led by local coaches and trainers.
Visitors can join interactive sessions of Yoga, Pilates and more at the fitness stage, near the corner of H Ave and 16th St.
An important aspect woven throughout all areas of the festival is sustainability. As a Zero Waste event, all visitors will be guided to sort their trash at educational waste stations where the festival collects organic, recyclable and landfill waste. The festival provides all food trucks with compostable plates, bowls, cups and utensils which can all be placed in the organic waste bins for composting. This greatly reduces landfill waste and has helped the festival consistently divert over 90% of waste from landfill, an impressive achievement for a large outdoor event.
In keeping with the festival’s Zero Waste program, a Green Village will feature DIY workshops for making cleaning materials and cosmetics at home with inexpensive and natural ingredients. Displays and information from groups such as the Collin County Master Gardeners Association will also be on hand.
With a world of experiences to enjoy and explore, the Plano International Festival is a fun, free and educational outing for all ages. More information is at https://www.planointernationalfestival.org.
