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May 25, 2023

Sioux Falls plans 26th annual Festival of Cultures

Lutheran Social Services (LSS) Multi-Cultural Center will hold their 26th annual

Lutheran Social Services (LSS) Multi-Cultural Center will hold their 26th annual Festival of Cultures on Saturday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the south parking lot of Levitt at the Falls.

During the event the guests will have an opportunity to see dances from around the globe, as well as to listen to regional music, taste cultural food and make crafts.

More:Sioux Falls' Four Winds music fest expected to double in size this year

"This event has always served as a bridge between varied cultural communities in our city," said Rebecca Kiesow-Knudsen, LSS President and CEO. "It's an opportunity for us to celebrate diversity and it helps strengthen Sioux Falls to be a community for everyone who lives here."

Valeria Wicker, program supervisor at the LSS Multi-Cultural Center said that with Sioux Falls becoming an increasingly multicultural and diverse city, the Festival of Cultures helps it remain welcoming for the people that come from all over the world and decide that they want to stay.

"The aim of the event is to celebrate diversity in Sioux Falls," said Wicker.

This year, LSS is partnering with Levitt at the Falls to provide a centralized space for people to learn and celebrate. The event will conclude with a free Levitt concert by Chilean artist Pascuala Ilabaca y Fauna at 7 p.m.

"We're very excited about our partnership with Levitt at the Falls," said Wicker.

More:Levitt at the Falls is back with 50 free concerts in its 2023 lineup

The festival will start with a performance by Sioux Falls reggae band Tuff Roots followed by PEGAN Musica Afrobeat's dance, representative of Congolese culture.

The guests will also get a chance to watch Nepalese and Chinese traditional dancing performed by Durga Gurung and Sioux Falls Lion Dance respectively, and Ballet Folklorico Estrellas de Jalisco will show a Mexican traditional dance.

In addition to dances from around the world, Lakota hoop dancers and cultural educators Starr and Dallas Chief Eagle will perform traditional Lakota dancing that they use to teach and tell stories.

Children's activities are planned throughout the event, including face painting, children's activities from the vendors, and Starr and Dallas Chief Eagle doing kids crafts. The guests will also be able to watch a play about Oceti Sakowin native people of South Dakota.

More:Lutheran Social Services, Multi-Cultural Center to merge center into LSS by September

Business vendors will include Trade of Hope selling fair-trade designs items, such as jewelry, bags, home décor, and others from 16 countries. Fair-trade design, Wicker explained, is the design that ensures that the producers around the globe receive fair and equitable pay.

Food is the shortest way to cross cultural differences, and Sioux Falls Festival of Cultures will welcome ethnic food and food trucks, including Cambodian, Mexican, and Guatemalan street food, Polynesian delicacies, and Liberian cuisine.

In the past, said Wicker, the festival was attended by anywhere from 3,000 to 30,000 people, and this year the organizers expect anything in that range. The sponsors of the events include First Premier Bank, Levitt at the Falls, Sioux Falls Canaries, Sanford Health, and others.

"Having a dedicated space and stage, as well as an amazing lineup of events, will make this year extremely successful," said Wicker.

For more information on the Festival of Cultures 2023, including a schedule of events, please visit Festival.LssSD.org.