Top Ten Ethnic Events Summer 2008

Aaaahh . . . summertime. The warm sun, cool breezes, fresh fruit salad – there’s nothing like the sights, sounds and tastes of summer. And nothing says summer like the thousands of summer fairs and festivals, big and small, that take place across the country. Many of these festivals not only celebrate a certain season but a certain people as well. Ethnic events allow people to gather together and strengthen the common bond of their heritage by sharing the traditions, foods, arts and music of their culture. These ethnic events allow you to connect with your target market directly in an environment that already fosters good feelings and community relationships. Festival participants will remember the good time they experienced and, hopefully, associate your company with that as well. No matter what ethnicity is being celebrated, these events always encompass a truly multicultural range of participants. Rina Kirshner, Vice President of the Russian American Foundation, says “The Russian Heritage Festival continues to become more global in reach, extending beyond Russian speaking peoples and including people from all areas of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.” Wanda Majcher of The Copernicus Foundation, organizers of Chicago’s “Taste of Polonia” states “Our four day festival includes Polish customs, traditions and cultural heritage promoting our Polish pride, and the festival's growing audience now includes more and more people from various ethnic groups.”

Following is a breakdown of our “Top 10” picks for the most popular ethnic events taking place this summer throughout the nation. We have listed them in the order of the dates they occur, and if you feel like we’ve left something out, we would love to hear from you so we can include it on our list! If your company would like to participate in these and other events going on throughout the year, you can find information on over 1,500 ethnic events at www.EthnicEvents.com.

1. Russian Heritage Festival – New York, NY
Date: JUNE 20, 2008 - JUNE 21, 2008

The Russian Heritage Festival continues the tradition of celebrating the New York community of émigrés from the Former Soviet Union, which has grown to over one million strong in the tri-state area. The Russian Heritage Festival - the only event of its kind in the U.S. - presents contemporary and traditional music and dance performances, art exhibitions, health and sports fairs, business expos, and other events throughout the month of June.

2. Annual Arab International Festival – Dearborn, MI
Date: JUNE 20, 2008 - JUNE 22, 2008

The largest Arab international festival in the nation, the Dearborn Arab International Festival is a free, family-centered cultural celebration that attracts people from all over Michigan, the Midwest and Canada. Participants represent the many cultures that reside in Metro Detroit, and the festival enjoys press from all local media outlets and extensive exposure in the Arab World and Arab American communities in the United States.

3. Taste of Chicago
Date: JUNE 27, 2008 - JULY 6, 2008

What began as a modest food festival in 1980 has grown into the world's largest outdoor food fest -- a gastronomical extravaganza attracting an incredibly diverse group of over 3 million people each year. The 10 day food festival serves up more than 300 menu items from over 70 restaurants and food vendors, and offers not just Chicago cuisine but also the global influences that are a part of the city's melting pot, from giant turkey legs and rib sandwiches to goat biryani (goat with rice, saffron and spices) or alcapurria (pork-filled banana dumplings).

4. San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration
Date: JUNE 28, 2008 - JUNE 29, 2008

San Francisco Pride is said to be "one of the last remaining pride events that can truly be called a rite of passage." With over 300 exhibitors and 19 stages and venues, the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade is the largest LGBT gathering in the nation. The two-day event is packed with a wide variety of vendors, artists, music in a variety of genres, performers, dance stages and venues, and fun. The theme for 2008 is “United by Pride, Bound for Equality.”

5. Essence Music Festival – New Orleans, LA
Date: JULY 4, 2008 - JULY 6, 2008

Essence Music Festival is the biggest event celebrating African-American culture and music in the United States, and is the largest gathering of African-American musical talent as well as top speakers in their empowerment seminars.

6. The Taste of Polonia – Chicago, IL
Date: AUGUST 29, 2008 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2008

The nation’s largest Polish neighborhood festival is hosted by the Copernicus Foundation and features a wide variety of delicious Polish cuisines, non-stop polka music and folk dancing and a host of Polish handcrafters and artisans plus exhibits familiarizing festival goers with many aspects of Polish customs, culture, traditions and language.

7. Brazil Independence Day Festival – New York, NY
Date: AUGUST 31, 2008

Brazilian Day is one of New York’s biggest street events and the biggest Brazilian event outside of Brazil. The event is organized by The Brazilians Newspaper and BACC (Brazilian-American Cultural Center), with the support of TV Globo International, part of the largest media group in South America. The Brazilian community in the greater New York area numbers about half a million, and the Brazilian Day Festival has transformed into an incredible opportunity to reach out to the huge Brazilian community in the United States. Brazilians join each other from all parts of the world to show their pride and share their culture. The event also attracts many others interested in Brazil and its culture.

8. West Indian-American Day Parade – New York, NY
Date: SEPTEMBER 1, 2008

The people of the Caribbean have exported their carnival traditions around the world and this one is by far the largest – it’s the biggest parade in New York depicting elaborately designed costumes, beauty and pageantry, many masqueraders plus huge sound trucks featuring both DJ’s and live performers. A large variety of vendors sell foods, crafts, books, clothing, art, jewelry and much more.

9. Mexican Fiesta de Independencia – Los Angeles, CA
Date: SEPTEMBER 13 & 14, 2008

Mexican Independence Day celebrates the events and people that resulted in Mexico’s independence from Spain. At El Pueblo Historical Monument, Mexican Independence Day is usually celebrated around September 16th with live music, dancing, and entertainment, carnival rides and much more throughout the weekend.

10. The Los Angeles Korean Festival
Date: SEPTEMBER 25-28, 2008

More than 30 years old, this annual celebration of Korean culture has grown to become one of the largest festivals in LA. Currently, over one million Korean-Americans populate Southern California. The Los Angeles Korean Festival helps establish a meaningful relationship with the Korean-American community and offers a great opportunity for introductions to Korean-American consumers. Along with Korean-Americans, African-American, Hispanics and other Pacific Rim ethnic groups help to diversify the City of Los Angeles, and people come from all over Southern California to experience the variety of events going on over the four days of festivities.