While many food options will be available in booths, this year many food options will be served in trucks.
The event, described as “a true celebration of culture and diversity at UNM --- featuring food, crafts and performances from all over the world,” by its organizers at GEO, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in the Cornell Mall, east of the SUB and west of Mesa Vista Hall.
Ashley Seibert, coordinator for GEO Resource Center, said through events such as the International Festival, the GEO sets out to, “try and break down some of the stereotypes people have about different countries.”
The International Festival has been going on for at least a decade, she said. It is one of the largest events on campus and this year looks to be no different.
In addition to the international food trucks, the Black Student Union, Muslim Student Association and local restaurant, Street Food Asia, will be offering food as well.
Seibert said while an admission is highly encouraged, the event is free. International food, arts, crafts, live performances as well as cultural information booths will be made available to all attendees.
Live performances of music and dance will feature a headlining act for the first time, she said.
There will be many cultural information booths manned by international students who can educate people on where they’re from and what students can expect if they visited those places, Seibert said.
The arts and crafts booths will feature information from numerous countries and even some groups represented within the UNM student population including; Ecuador, Persia, Sierra Leone, UNM Peace Studies, LGBTQ Resource Center and more.
To find volunteers for the International Festival, she said, the GEO had an online signup for food vendors, performances and international as well as domestic students, could sign up to share their individual culture with UNM. None of the vendors or participants are charged outside of their own personal costs to make food or perform, GEO charges them zero for the space.
Seibert said there will be a large assortment of 20 different international cuisine this year, offered for $3 to $5, from countries including; Colombia, China, Haiti, Germany, Hungary and Diné.
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The Muslim Student Association will be doing henna hand-painting and there will be a live public art piece that attendees may creatively add to, she said. The space is large enough that everyone will have an opportunity to paint and leave their mark on.
Danielle Gilliam, administrative officer for GEO, said the International Festival is largely about trying to inspire domestic students to be see the world.
“What we’re trying to do is we want to be more inclusive of our larger community here at UNM,” Gilliam said, “We know that we get a lot of participation from our own international students, in part because they’re involved and engaged in these issues. We want to see more of our domestic students get involved in this type of program and know what it’s about.”
The event will work to create a sense of an international village, where students are surrounded by a multitude of different cultures, she said.
Gilliam said it takes months of planning in advance, which is why it is one of the largest events on UNM campus.
“A lot of people don’t know this, but we have over 90 countries represented on this campus. That’s a diversity that maybe other schools cant brag about in the way that we can,” Gilliam said.
Matt Reisen is a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter at @DailyLobo.
