Second Multicultural Festival will Celebrate Elk Grove Diversity Aug. 24

Elk Grove Regional Park will be filled with the sights, sounds and smells of cultures from around the world next weekend, as the city's Multicultural Festival returns to celebrate local diversity.

The second-annual Elk Grove Multicultural Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Aug. 24.

The festival's theme is "Many Cultures, One Community," and performers will include Azteca dancers, Native American dancers, a West African/Caribbean drum and dance group, Brazilian Capoeira performers, square dancers and more.

A schedule of performances is available here. 

A full press release from the city follows:

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Elk Grove Multicultural Festival Returns on August 24

August 24-30 Proclaimed “Cultural Diversity Awareness Week” in Elk Grove

Elk Grove, CA— The City of Elk Grove is hosting a global celebration at the second annual Multicultural Festival on Saturday, August 24, a day of rich cultural performances, food and music. 

Thousands of participants are expected to fill Elk Grove Regional Park located at 9950 Elk Grove-Florin Road from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  This day-long festival is Elk Grove’s signature community-wide celebration of diversity and is hosted by the City of Elk Grove’s Multicultural Committee. This year, the festival’s theme is “Many Cultures, One Community.” The festival will feature a variety of ethnic foods, music, entertainment, fashion shows and activities for kids.  Free parking and admission.  

The colors and sounds of a global celeration will adorn two stages at the festival.  The event will feature more than 20 demonstrations from Mexican, Brazilian, Azteca, Indian, Marshallese, Latin, Chinese, West African & Afro-Caribbean, Scottish, Tahitian, Filipino and Punjabi performers, square dancers and martial artists.  Musical performances will include Innersoul, Q-VO and La Familia Loca.  A schedule of performances is below. 

The event will offer interactive activities for children, including face painting, bounce houses and free art activities that promote diversity.  A photo booth and pledge forms will allow participants to sign the Elk Grove Diversity Pledge and take a photo to be included on the “face jumble” at elkgrovediversitypledge.org.   Fifteen food vendors will offer a variety of ethnic cuisines, including Indian masala, Greek Gyros, Italian Ice, Polish Pierogi, and Hawaiian BBQ just to name a few.  An event map is below.

More than 45 nonprofits, churches, and community groups will have booths to educate the community about their culture or organization. 

Participants are encouraged to connect with other Multicultural Festival participants at the event using social media, and are encouraged to share status updates and pictures throughout the day (#EGMCF). 

The event is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health, Cosumnes CSD, Crossings TV, KHITS, Sutter Medical Foundation, ScholarShare, PG&E, Frontier Communications, American Laser Skincare, Realty Roundup, Wolff & Wolff Attorneys at Law, California Northstate University College of Medicine, State Farm Insurance, Elk Grove Presbyterian Church, Metro PCS, Safe Credit Union, State Farm Insurance, SMUD, AAA Northern California, Laguna Gateway Shopping Center; Inverness Management, Rotary Club of Laguna Sunrise and Elk Grove Ford.

In addition, the Elk Grove City Council designated August 24 through 30 as Cultural Diversity Awareness Week in Elk Grove.  The week, which begins with the Multicultural Festival, encourages the Elk Grove community to promote and organize cultural awareness programs during this designated week, to learn about Elk Grove’s unique cultural surroundings, and become aware of the ethnic and cultural diversity in the City of Elk Grove. 

In partnership with the Elk Grove Citizen, a Cultural Diversity Awareness Week guide will be handed out at the festival, including coupons and articles that promote exploring other cultures in Elk Grove the week of August 24. 

The Multicultural Committee will also launch a new multicultural book club during Cultural Diversity Awareness Week.  In an effort to celebrate Elk Grove’s diversity while providing a resource for building cultural competency, the City of Elk Grove and the Sacramento Library have teamed up to provide reading lists with titles designed to educate and enlighten readers of all ages.  For more information and suggested reading lists visit www.elkgrovecity.org/bookclub.

The Multicultural Festival is an event for the people, by the people, proving possible with the collaboration of more than 50 community volunteers.  

For more information about the Multicultural Festival, visit www.elkgrovecity.org/multicultural-festival.