What is a great way to celebrate and experience culture? Host a festival!

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND

13 hours ago

3 min read

What cultures are represented in your community? Are you familiar with these cultures and the people who belong to them? How can you best celebrate and experience the cultures around you?

A great way to celebrate and experience culture is through hosting a festival. Attending a festival is a great start, but hosting one is even better. In this post, I will share my experience planning and hosting a cultural festival and share key ideas others can put into practice.

I have had the privilege of leading our community’s Hispanic Heritage Festival from its conception through the third annual event held this past weekend. The idea to host a festival was conceived in the fall of 2023 when I assembled a group to write a grant proposal to the League of Historic American Theatres to reach a more diverse audience.

This initial planning group included others from the Delphi Opera House, where I serve on the board, as well as members of the local Hispanic community, which comprises 10% of the city’s population. We asked them how the opera house could reach and serve their community. They suggested a mental health fair and a festival.

We were one of three theatres in the country to be awarded a diversity grant, and in 2024 we hosted both events we proposed, which were well received and well attended.

The festival was deemed too successful to host only once, and sponsors came forward to keep it going after the first year. Each year, the festival has grown in attendance, and we’re learning what makes for a successful event.

How to Host a Cultural Festival

Here are five key principles to keep at the forefront of your planning:

Involve members of the culture from start to finish.

This is key, especially if you are not part of the culture. Their involvement will inform all decisions and will create significant “buy-in” for the event. It will create word-of-mouth marketing and will demonstrate authenticity to everyone who attends.

Host it at an appropriate date, time, and place.

Our festival was held on October 3^rd, right in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated each year from mid-September through mid-October. If the culture you are celebrating has a designated date or month, schedule accordingly. If not, find out when the audience is most available, and be sure not to conflict with other events or holidays.

Celebrate the culture via food, clothing, art, music, entertainment, and more.

There are numerous ways to celebrate culture. Brainstorm how to incorporate as many as possible given the time, space, and resources available. We had an entire city block of food vendors; an art show and an art class; a band and a dance group for entertainment; and a DJ playing music in between performances.

Create an experience that is welcoming, educational, entertaining, and safe.

Cultural festivals are an opportunity to bring diverse communities together and educate the wider community, as well as members of the culture, about the culture. Eating and entertainment may be the draw, but people will only come if they feel welcome and safe.

We were pleased we accomplished this. In the words of several participants on a follow-up survey about the event:

“Everything was amazing, and everyone was very inviting!”

“Very welcoming, food very good! Hospitality great!!”

“The atmosphere was so inviting and inclusive, creating a wonderful sense of community. The food was absolutely delicious, the entertainment was wonderful, and the celebration of culture, traditions, and community spirit was truly special. What a beautiful celebration of culture, community, and connection!”

Garner the support of the wider community.

Cultural festivals are meant to bring everyone together, not just people of the culture being celebrated. This can only happen when the festival is supported by people of all cultures.

We are fortunate that our mayor is a huge supporter and opens each festival with a proclamation. We also now partner with the city’s Main Street organization to plan and host the festival. This broad support means so much to our Hispanic community and has made our entire community stronger and safer for everyone.