Caribbean performers, exhibitors and food vendors needed for upcoming Culture Fest

Caribbean bands, exhibitors, performers and food vendors are needed for an upcoming “Caribbean Culture Fest” that will be hosted by Columbia Association (CA), the Howard County Library System and The Build Haiti Foundation. This free family event will be held on Sunday, Sept. 28, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Howard County Library System’s Miller Branch, which is located at 9421 Frederick Road in Ellicott City.

The Caribbean Culture Fest is a great place for individuals, bands, organizations and dance groups representing the English-, French-, Spanish- and Dutch-speaking islands of the Caribbean to participate in an afternoon of music (including bachata, reggae, calypso, steel drum, salsa, merengue and compas/konpa), dance performances, displays and demonstrations.

Food trucks from the highlighted countries and territories — Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Martin, St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Virgin Islands — are also needed to sell snacks and refreshments.

At this free event, people are invited to show the Howard County community what makes their countries and cultures unique. Exhibitors may not sell items or services unless they are food truck vendors selling food. Musicians fall into two categories: short inside performances (10-15 minutes) and longer outside performances (30-45 minutes). Musicians performing longer sets outside may sell CDs. There will be no payment for performances.

Photos will be taken at the event of exhibitors, performers and the audience. At the event,
families will be able to pick up a “Culture Fest Passport” and complete it for door prizes by visiting
exhibitors’ tables.

Interested parties should contact Laura Smit, program manager for CA’s International Exchange and Multicultural Programs, by calling 410-715-3162 or sending an email to International@ColumbiaAssociation.org.

About Columbia Association

Columbia Association (CA) is a nonprofit service corporation that manages Columbia, MD, a planned community that is home to approximately 100,000 people and several thousand businesses. Additional information about CA is available at ColumbiaAssociation.org.

About The Build Haiti Foundation

The Build Haiti Foundation (BHF) is a Haitian-American led 501(c) (3) non-profit organization with strong ties to Haiti and the Haitian Diaspora. BHF knows firsthand and understands the host of varied challenges and opportunities Haitians face at home and abroad. BHF works with prominent professionals in Haiti and the Diaspora to build a strong network of people and institutions capable of responding to the existing challenges and opportunities. Additional information about BHF is available at www.thebuildhaitifoundation.org.

Columbia Association
10221 Wincopin Circle, Columbia, Maryland 21044
ColumbiaAssociation.org
Facebook.com/ColumbiaAssociation
Twitter.com/ColumbiaAssn
YouTube.com/CATVChannel

Laura Smit
Program Manager
International Exchange & Multicultural Programs
10221 Wincopin Circle, Columbia, MD 21044
Phone: 410-715-3162
Fax: 410-715-3043
Mobile: 410-608-6287
Email: Laura.Smit@ColumbiaAssociation.org
ColumbiaAssociation.org/Multicultural

Upcoming Multicultural & International Exchange Events
World Languages Café, Wed, June 25, 7 – 9 pm, @ Wegmans
International Book Club, Wed, July 9, 7:30 – 9:00 pm, Columbia Archives
Sister Cities High School Exchange, June 24 to July 31
Caribbean Culture Fest, Sun, Sept 28, 1:30 – 4:30, Miller Library (seeking bands, performers)

Columbia’s Sister Cities
Cergy-Pontoise, France (1977)
Tres Cantos, Spain (1990)
Tema, Ghana (2012)