2018 RESTON MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL PERFOMERS AND ACTIVITIES ANNOUNCED (PDF)

RESTON, VA – It is time to “Discover the World in Reston” as the annual Reston Multicultural Festival returns on September 22, 2018. This signature Reston event honors the diversity that is one of the community’s greatest assets and brings to life the vision that Reston founder Robert E. Simon had for the unique Northern Virginia community.

The 2018 Reston Multicultural Festival will be held at Lake Anne Plaza from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to dress in native attire and share their cultural roots. “Every year, this event reminds us of how much we share in common and how greatly we treasure learning about our unique cultural roots,” said RCC Executive Director Leila Gordon. “We look forward to being immersed in our community’s vibrant expressions of who we are and our different journeys.”

The Festival will open with a Naturalization Ceremony, where America’s newest citizens will take the Oath of Allegiance. The World Stage, Global Stage and the Gallery Stage will feature an all-day series of free performances representing world cultures.

The entertainment portion of the day opens with Mariachi Los Amigos leading a procession from the World Stage to the Global Stage at 12:15 p.m. After that, there will be continual performances of music, dance and other entertainment from around the world, including Ireland, West Africa, India, Japan and Spain, among others.

The Festival will feature two National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows, Eddie Bond and Carolyn Mazloomi. Eddie Bond is an Appalachian old-time fiddler performing with the New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters. He plays on stages from Australia to Ireland, as well as in his native Virginia. Bond and the Bogtrotters will perform on the World Stage at 3:00 p.m.

Mazloomi is regarded as the leading authority on African-American quilts and quilt-making. She is a founder of the Women of Color Quilter’s Network (WCQN) whose work has been displayed at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, National Civil Rights Museum, Museum of Art and Design and the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution. Mazloomi will present her quilts and discuss their cultural significance on the Gallery Stage at 1:00 p.m.

Other highlights:

• Hands-on family arts and crafts activities.

• Food from the Global Café, featuring local vendors with dishes from around the world.

• Crafts for purchase at the Global Market, where international cultures are represented in textiles, clothing, jewelry, housewares and more.

A complete schedule of events and vendors is available at www.restoncommunitycenter.com/mcf.

Where: Lake Anne Plaza, 1609-A Washington Plaza, Reston, VA 20190

When:   Saturday, September 22, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Parking: Free street parking is available, as well as free offsite parking at Brown’s Chapel, within short walking distance to the Festival site.

Reston Community Center presents the Reston Multicultural Festival; it is hosted by Lake Anne Plaza and co-sponsored by Reston Association, with partners from a variety of Reston-based organizations and businesses.