Last weekend, the public was welcomed to West Virginia’s longest running International Festival that featured over 15 countries.

“I was very excited to see people come out, enjoy, and learn in person about different cultures and take part in this interactive event,” said Jyotsna Patel, the organizer of this event and program manager at Marshall University.

The tables were interactive, and each booth showed different products of each country.

“I really liked how inclusive it was. It really taught a lot about the other cultures that were represented. I hope they’ll have more international food and cultures to experience at the next one,” said Sofia Garcia-Arias, a biology pre-med major.

“The festival was a really nice experience to have on campus,” said Kenzie Bastug, a biology major. “I learned a lot from being there. I also really enjoyed the interactive games, performances and the different foods that were available to try.”

The festival featured world music, including the Daniel Ferreira, a Latin music band.

The festival also had international foods and a children’s area with DIY passports, face painting, henna tattoos, origami, and Korean games to enjoy.

“It was really great to be able to do an in-person International Festival,” Patel said. “Students were able to interact with guests in a way that they couldn’t last year, making it a much more joyous occasion. I was happy seeing kids dancing and enjoying everything. The vibes and atmosphere are obviously very different from the virtual event last year.”

At the festival, masks and social distancing were required.

COVID & flu vaccines were also available at the event.

“The purpose of this event is to bring many individuals from different backgrounds together and I really think this year was a really big success,” said Patel.