Smells of pupusas, soul food, fried rice, and other unique dishes wafted throughout downtown Harrisonburg as the streets and sidewalks were filled with people attending the 21st Annual International Festival last Saturday, Sept. 29.
Kids, high school students, JMU and EMU students, and many other members of the Harrisonburg community all joined together to celebrate the diverse community within Harrisonburg.
Unlike past years, when the festival was at Hillandale Park, this year it was held in downtown Harrisonburg. The FairField Center and Festival Planning Committee decided to move the location to accommodate for its popularity. “The new location threw me off at first, but overall I liked the change,” senior Riley Swartzendruber said. “It felt a bit more spread out, and it was enjoyable walking in the streets of downtown Harrisonburg.”
Junior Gwen Mallow and first-year Wade Banks pose after browsing stands for food. 
In order: First-years Dariele Norman, Graciella Odelia, sophomore Cassidy Bush, and first-years Chretienne Damaska, and Mikayla De Atley enjoy the festival.
Senior Lindsay Acker also enjoyed the change in venue. “I liked the downtown location much more, but that might just be because I don’t remember much from two years ago. I will say, though, that many of the people that stopped by our booth had never heard of the festival before, so I think the new location was better for turnout,” she said.
Acker interns for the FairField Center, the organization that plans the event, so she was able to work at their booth. “I love watching people walk around and interact with each other, dressed in traditional clothing and eating delicious food… It was cool to get a behindthe-scenes look at the festival,” she said.
As the festival’s popularity increased, Hillandale Park was no longer a large enough venue for the event. By moving it to downtown Harrisonburg, there was more space for vendors, and people could enjoy the restaurants and amenities that downtown provides.
Sophomore Stephanie Gilbertson missed the simplicity of the Hillandale location. “At the park, I got to experience a lot of the festival. In downtown, it was difficult to know where to go,” she said.
The event stretched from the Farmers’ Market to Court Square. Each of those locations had a performance stage for entertainment such as drum circles, dances, and music. Food trucks and stands were also found by the two stages. Local restaurants as well as restaurants outside of the Harrisonburg area had stands
The International Festival provides opportunities for people to share their culture in a setting that celebrates those differences. “I got to see different parts of downtown Harrisonburg while seeing different parts of the world,” Gilbertson said. Interacting with the Harrisonburg community was also a highlight for Swartzendruber.
“Another big reason of going this year was to debut a cutout of my friend Finn, who is currently on his cross-cultural in China.
I know I enjoyed the random interactions my friends and I had with the Harrisonburg community who wanted to know why on earth we were carrying a life-sized cutout of someone,” he said. “My favorite interaction was when we asked the dragon dancers to pose in a photo with Finn. When they heard the real Finn was in China, they got really excited and happily had their photo taken.”
Interactions such as that are what keep people coming back to the International Festival. “Interacting, exploring, and learning from other cultures is one of the great opportunities Harrisonburg gives its community,” said Swartzendruber.
