Naperville International Festival bringing global cultures to Central Park Sept. 12
From Lithuanian folk dancing to Slovak music to Middle Eastern food, residents can experience cultures from around the world Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Naperville International Festival.
Presented by the Naperville Sister Cities Foundation, the event is a spin-off of the Naperville Hispanic Heritage Festival, which debuted in 2021. The nonprofit works to bring inclusivity and cultural awareness to Naperville by connecting its citizens to other global communities. Naperville’s sister cities are Nitra, Slovakia; Pátzcuaro, Mexico; and Cancún, Mexico.
Foundation chair Patty Gustin said the organization transitioned to a broader international festival this year to be more inclusive of cultures from across the globe.
“The (Sister Cities) board members are a mix of cultures, a whole bunch of different nationalities and such,” she said. “So they all stepped up and were like, ‘Hey, I want my ethnic background to be represented too.’ So needless to say, we have a beautiful lineup for the day.”
Set to run from noon to 9 p.m. at Central Park, the free event will feature performances throughout the day, including music from the Latin American folk group Inti Illinois, Lithuanian folk dance from the Grandis dance group, and Slovak folk dance and music from the organization Veselica.
Myriad food vendors, merchants and cultural organizations will be running booths throughout the day. Among the on-site food vendors will be Delah Coffee, Kabab King Grill, Taco Dále, and Peep Inc.
Guests can peruse jewelry, artwork and other items being sold by groups like La Tiendita Artesanal, EK Jewelry by Ina and Cucuyo. Vendors Pinot’s Palette and the DuPage Hispanic Alliance will have activities geared toward children, Gustin said.
Mike Havala, CEO of Loaves & Fishes Community Services, will be honored with a community service award. Gustin said the Naperville resident was selected not only for his contributions to Loaves & Fishes, but for his connection to Slovakia.
“His family came from Nitra, Slovakia, which is a longtime sister city of the city of Naperville,” she said.
Nitra became Naperville’s first sister city in 1993 and until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Neuqua Valley High School students were part of an exchange program with students from Nitra.
“Recognizing Mike kind of brings it full circle,” Gustin said. “So it’s very heartwarming to kind of look back and go, ‘Wow, this is where it started.’ He’s a very influential and honorable person that has helped our community (and) his heritage came from one of our sister cities.”
Naperville’s sister cities and diversity of cultures are not the only thing that will be celebrated at the event. America’s 250th anniversary will be recognized with performances from groups like the Naperville Municipal Band and the Naperville Men’s Glee Club.
“It was a conversation we all had because we all live in America,” Gustin said. “Some of the board members are first generation, some are second, some are third, but we realized that the birth of our country is what united us and so it is the 250th anniversary of all of us, right? So we decided that we needed to have a segment within to kind of celebrate that and recognize that.”
The festival is supported with $12,300 in funding from Naperville’s Special Events and Community Arts (SECA) program.
“We’re thankful to be able to put it on and do everything and it’s free, which is great,” Gustin said. “It’ll be very similar to the Hispanic fest we’ve done in the past, but it’ll be expanded to include all of (Central Park) versus a portion of the park and it’ll be expanded to other cultures, so we’re excited.”
cstein@chicagotribune.com