Nobody, with the possible exception of yogurt manufacturers, gets multicultural quite like Concord does. As evidence, we present the eighth annual Concord Multicultural Festival, which will return on a new date Sept. 28 “infused with a new energy” under fresh leadership, according to organizer Jessica Fogg.
What hasn’t changed is the variety of cultural performances and selection of ethnic food that will be available during the festival, which runs from 3 to 7 p.m. at the State House Plaza (note the time change from earlier releases, which previously listed 2 to 6 p.m.) And we aren’t talking about Chobani – Fogg said Capitol Street will be lined with plenty of unique food vendors, many of which are independent representatives featuring cuisine from places like Syria, Nepal, Lebanon and Argentina.
“It’s just such a great community event, with all the food and excitement and activities,” Fogg said. “There’s going to be lots to do. All of your neighbors are going to be there and it’s just going to be fun. You’ll learn something and you’ll enjoy yourself and hopefully meet new people.”
Performances will take place throughout the festival on the State House Plaza and lawn, on a stage in front of the stairs and a designated space on the concrete nearby. The menu is just as perse here, including Bhutanese dancers, belly dancers, Burundian drummers and the Wah Lum Chinese Lion dancers from Boston. There are also local contributions, like those from the Vybes of Style Dance Crew, run by the inimitable Shamecca Brown and comprised of local students who put on quite a dance show.
There are also a handful of exhibitors, including Saad Hindal, an Iraqi painter living in Concord, Lutheran Social Services, New American Africans, Western Abenaki Baskets and more.
The event is presented by the Greater Concord Area Task Force Against Racism and Intolerance, which opened culture-based community discussions in Concord about 11 years ago as the capital city continued to experience an influx of persity. The group titled its 2004 discussion “The Changing Face of Concord: Racial, Ethnic and Cultural Diversity,” and it was out of that discussion that the festival was created, as “nearly everyone involved recognized the importance of street festivals to the civic life of Concord,” Fogg said.
“The point of it is that it’s supposed to be a community event, it’s supposed to be bringing all of our neighbors together to enjoy each other and just understand we all come from perse backgrounds and we all come from different cultures,” Fogg said. “Obviously the cultural landscape in Concord has been changing, and this is just to kind of bring back all our neighbors and say we’re all here as a community, to celebrate each of our different cultures and the things we all have to offer.”
The event used to be held in June, but was scheduled for September this year when a new group of organizers took over. Fogg said there have been about 10 people “consistently involved” in the planning, with others contributing when possible.
“It’s good because we have some people who have been involved since the beginning, and we also have some new people who are just passionate about multiculturalism in our community, and I think that’s important to keeping it fresh and exciting,” Fogg said. “The people on the committee have been really awesome, both the people who have been there since the beginning and the new people who are really involved in giving a fresh perspective. We all came together to put this (event on), and now bring the whole community together.”
For a complete list of food, performance and exhibit participants, visit nhmulticulturalfestival.com, and for additional information find the festival’s Facebook page at facebook.com/concordnhmulticulturalfestival.
