Bristol International Cultural Festival will take place on June 22 & 23 at Sparks Bristol
Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of over 30 countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe to celebrate the positive impact made by migrants and refugees in Bristol.
Stalls at the universal marketplace will sell traditional arts and crafts including Masai craftwork, cute crochet, jewellery, clothes, cards and artwork from local independent traders. Many of the traders are raising money for charities supporting their communities.
Try new cuisine from around the globe as scents from Korea, Hong Kong, Gambia and Latin America. Salha, a Sudanese chef, said: “My mother cooked delicious dishes and taught me all I know – I fell in love with cooking ever since. Making this food is part of who I am and fills me with lots of memories.”
Make friends and learn new skills at free workshops in Indian and Polish Folk Art, African Drumming, Chinese Calligraphy and Vietnamese Food. The festival will include a mainstage packed with artists from across Bristol presenting dance, folklore and talks.
Bristol International Cultural Festival has been organised to showcase the diverse range of cultures and customs in Bristol that make it unique and a strong city of sanctuary. Sparks offers space and resources to empower diverse communities in Bristol through the partnership with Community Champions, and we aim for this event to help entrepreneurs and artists from different ethnicities to showcase and reach new audiences.
The event is supported by Broadmead BID, John James Bristol, YTKO and African Voices Forum.
“This will be a festival of arts, cultural diversity, inclusion of different traditional dresses, music, dance, folklore and food, which depicts the vibrancy of Bristol,” said David Dravie-John from the African Voices Forum.
“In our regular meetings with Bristol’s Community Champions, they identified a need for an immersive celebration of diversity and inclusion in the city of Bristol that enables artists and traders from different communities to showcase their talents, traditions, and cultures. We hope this is the start of regular cultural festivals at Sparks Bristol,” said Jenny Foster, co-director of Sparks and Global Goals Centre.
For full programme and more details: https://sparksbristol.co.uk/cultural-festival/