By Riley Fontana
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Needham held its second annual Multicultural Festival where countless people packed the Needham High School cafeteria to experience all the cultures within Needham and learn about their customs and traditions.
14 different countries were in attendance sharing their culture with all attendees. To encourage audience members to visit every booth passports were handed out with trivia questions once answered the passport was stamped by a representative at the table. A completed passport was entered into a drawing for an Amazon gift card.
Each country was given a table which they decorated with information about their culture and background. Many tables handed out regional foods for people to try and talked in depth about their culture and what decorated their table. Needham residents love the multicultural festival so much, they had to upgrade the venue from their first year. “When people are asked what they want they say cultural events like this,” said Keith LaFace, Chair of the Multicultural Festival Chair.
Along with tables to share traditions, many people performed to share different aspects of their culture. Representatives from China, India, Pakistan and Ireland shared traditional dances and the Massachusett Natick Praying Indians gave a presentation that involved singing and dancing. There was also an open mic open to all attendees to share anything they wanted. Each presentation was accompanied by a short speech about what the dances and songs mean to those presenting, giving the audience even more insight to traditions.
This event was incredibly important to LaFace, who fell in love with last year's rendition and decided to get involved. “I think that when you look at the demographics of Needham it doesn’t always look diverse,” he said. “Taking opportunities like this allows our residents to share their beautiful cultures.” The Multicultural Fest brought together communities who did not know their neighbors shared the same culture.
The Needham Multicultural Festival is one of the best events Needham hosts every year, growing bigger with every version. The diversity of cultures allows for everyone to learn something new and meet new people.
