Festival of Nations

Nations, Festival of (Minnesota)

First weekend in May

Minnesota's largest ethnic celebration, the Festival of Nations takes place in St. Paul, a city of great ethnic diversity. Nearly 100 different ethnic groups (up from 65 in the 1980s) participate in this event, which has been presented by the International Institute of Minnesota since 1932 and features costumes, folk craft demonstrations, and cultural exhibits. Folk dance and music performances run continuously and showcase performers from Greece, Egypt, Ireland, Polynesia, Norway, Ecuador, Armenia, and many other countries.
Food is one of the festival's main attractions. Past offerings have included sausage with kraut (Czech), falafel sandwiches (Palestinian), beef pita pockets (Oromo people of Ethiopia and Kenya), spinach pie (Egyptian), choux a la creme (French strawberry cream puff), and syrnyk (Ukrainian cheesecake). Visitors who are thirsty can find mango milk shakes (Indian), green tea (Japanese), and egg coffee (Finnish). Sidewalk cafes serve authentic food from more than four dozen countries.

CONTACTS:
International Institute of Minnesota
1694 Como Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55108
651-647-0191; fax: 651-647-9268
www.iimn.org

SOURCES:
GdUSFest-1984, p. 97

Celebration days:
2011: May 7; May 8
2012: May 5; May 6
2013: May 4; May 5
2014: May 3; May 4
2015: May 2; May 3

Celebrated in: Minnesota

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Nations, Festival of (Montana)

Eight days beginning first Saturday in August

A celebration of the multi-ethnic heritage of Red Lodge, Mont. In its early days, Red Lodge was a coal-mining town where miners who came from a number of European nations established their own communities. This festival began in 1950 to honor the different ethnic traditions. Today there is dancing, singing, and eating. Special foods are served by representatives of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Germany, Finland, the Scandinavian countries, Italy, and the several nationalities that made up the former Yugoslavia. Eight days of events wind up with an All Nations Parade followed by a street dance.

CONTACTS:
Red Lodge Area Chamber of Commerce
601 N. Broadway
P.O. Box 988
Red Lodge, MT 59068
888-281-0625 or 406-446-1718
www.redlodgechamber.org

SOURCES:
GdUSFest-1984, p. 108

Celebrated in: Montana