Multicultural Fair to return to UMW campus

By SARAH GRAMMER

The University of Mary Washington will once again celebrate a diversity of cultures at the 25th annual Multicultural Fair. On Saturday, April 11, vendors will cover campus selling food and handmade crafts for students, faculty and community members to enjoy.

A popular event each year, the Multicultural Fair attracts a crowd of thousands who come to shop, eat and watch a variety of performances throughout the day. Performances include musical groups from different genres and dance performers, as well as student groups such as Eagle Bhangra. All entertainers come from a wide range of cultures and are meant to give those who attend an appreciation for cultural diversity.

Among the handmade crafts are often clothing items and jewelry. Many vendors also sell wooden kitchen utensils, or handmade wooden statues. Henna, glitter tattoos and face paint decorate visitors while they enjoy the festivities.

As usual, the Multicultural Fair offers a horde of food possibilities, including gyros, corn dogs, fries, smoothies, lamb, chicken, beef and funnel cake. UMW’s own Wholly Habaneros truck is a food option as well.

Certain parts of the campus will be filled with activities, especially for children, where stations will be set up for kids to make crafts of their own. The crafts are borrowed from many different cultures in order to help the younger children to experience new ideas.