The Multi-Cultural Festival in Parkersburg WV

When I first heard about the Multi-Cultural Festival being held in Parkersburg, West Virginia, I thought it was a strange idea. The vast majority of the residents of Parkersburg are of northern European descent. African-American, Mexican, Native American, and Asia people are few and far between. But it appears that was the idea of the event, to provide cultural understanding of groups that many people in this area do not frequently contact.

The Multi-Cultural Festival celebrates cultures through a variety of methods. Their website (movmcf.org) lists three objectives of the festival. The summarized objectives are as follows: to further awareness through artistic expression, to celebrate and assure continuation of diverse culture and art, and recognize cultural similarities. The Multi-Cultural Festival works to accomplish these goals through many activities including artistic dancers, singers, and performers from many cultures, various cultural food vendors (my favorite!), and other cultural presentations (martial arts, etc.).

Perhaps the most important activity at the Multi-Cultural Festival are the kid's activities. Children at the Multi-Cultural Festival are given the opportunity to explore various cultures through the building of crafts, culturally diverse artistic workshops and other hands on events. This is a key activity as the world is shrinking due to air travel, the internet, and the globalization of the economy. Our children are going to need to understand and respect diverse cultures in order to thrive in the future. The Multi-Cultural Festival will certain give the children a good basis in being able to learn these needed skills. Vendors at the Multi-Cultural Festival also offer a variety of unique food and other items that also teaches about customs of other cultures.

The Multi-Cultural Festival has grown since its late 1990's inception into a large event in the Parkersburg, West Virginia, area. The Multi-Cultural Festival is held annually during June at the Parkersburg City Park. The Parkersburg City Park provides a pool, tennis and basketball courts, handicap accessible restrooms and much more. The festival is free of charge to the public and lasts for 3 days over a weekend. Vendors may contact the website listed for more information, but the spaces are reasonably priced for access to such a large potential customer base. The festival draws tourists and performers from a numerous states into the area as well as many local people. Please come visit the festival, it is an event that will not disappoint.

Other things to do and see in the Parkersburg area include Fenton Art Glass and Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park. Visit my Content Producer page for more West Virginia and other information.