RESTON MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL EXPANDS TO THREE STAGES FOR UPCOMING SEPTEMBER 21 EVENT
RESTON, VA — The Reston Multicultural Festival returns to Reston Town Center to celebrate Reston’s rich diversity through song, dance, craft arts and community engagement on Saturday, September 21. Reston Community Center proudly presents this beloved community event in partnership with Reston Town Center Association (RTCA). BXP cohosts the expanded festival. Volunteer coordination is provided by Reston Association.
“Our diversity is our greatest strength,” says Beverly Cosham, RCC Board of Governors Chair. “We present the Reston Multicultural Festival each year to share the incredible sights, sounds and joyful energy of people who come from all over the world to be here. Bob Simon established Reston as a place where everyone could feel a sense of belonging. For more than 20 years, this festival has embodied that spirit. We welcome people from all over the region to join the fun!”
The Reston Multicultural Festival takes place on Saturday, September 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with a full day of entertainment and activities that includes global music and movement representing a vibrant tapestry of diverse traditions and influences, and craft artisans offering beautiful, high-quality, unique pieces. Families can enjoy games and engage in activities with community organizations as they share their missions. Participants are encouraged to come dressed in attire that demonstrates pride in their cultural roots.
Robert Goudie, Executive Director for the Reston Town Center Association (RTCA), notes, “RTCA is delighted to join its cultural partner, RCC, in presenting this signature community celebration of the diversity that makes Reston such a vibrant, warm and welcoming place. With an expanded festival entertainment lineup and more participating artisans, there will be beauty everywhere people turn. We are especially grateful to our cohost, BXP, which has generously allowed us to enlarge the festival footprint up Market Street to the Pavilion. Of course, we also deeply appreciate green room support from the Avant, and we thank all the volunteers, staff and visitors who bring this terrific festival to life.”
This year the Festival expands to three stages (Park Stage, Library Street Stage and Pavilion Stage) hosting over 20 performances. The Festival will also have more than 30 artisan vendors displaying and selling items from all around the world. A complete schedule and list of participants can be found here: www.restoncommunitycenter.com/mcf
The Reston Multicultural Festival continues its partnership with the National Council of Traditional Arts (NCTA) and National Endowment of Arts (NEA) Heritage Fellows, recipients of the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts, and the Virginia Folklife Program. The NEA Heritage Fellows performers this year are the Zuni Olla Maidens, a venerated dance troupe from Zuni Pueblo in western New Mexico; Rosie Flores, a singer/songwriter and lead guitarist from Austin, Texas; and Sochietah Ung, a celebrated Cambodian costume and crown maker from Washington D.C. Everyone will enjoy a Festive Finale from the first collegiate choir of its kind in the world, the Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University, who are
celebrating over five decades of musical excellence. The choir, a collective of students and alumni from Howard University and the surrounding community, will bring a message of peace, restoration, healing and inspiration through their music.
Other performer highlights include the Foley Academy of Irish Dance, Fundacion Socio Cultural Diablada Boliviana, and Gin Dance. Storytellers Mlanjeni Nduma, and Nelly and Paloma Zapata, will bring fascinating tales to share. New this year, a documentary film featuring many folk artists from the Mid-Atlantic region will be shown in the LOOK Cinema on Market Street at 3:00 p.m. The film “In Good Keeping: the 2023-2024 Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program” has a running time of approximately 65 minutes.
Visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com/mcf for a comprehensive performance schedule along with a list of vendors and community organizations.
About Reston Community Center
Reston Community Center provides a wide range of programs in aquatics, arts, enrichment and lifelong learning for all ages. RCC creates and sustains community traditions through special events, outreach activities and facility rentals enjoyed by all of Reston. In 2024, RCC celebrates 45 years of enriching lives and building community.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America.
About the National Council for the Traditional Arts
Founded in 1933, the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is the nation’s oldest folk arts organization. The NCTA presents the nation’s finest traditional artists to the public in festivals, national and international tours, concerts, radio and television programs, films, recordings and other programs. For over 30 years, the NCTA has worked with the National Endowment for the Arts on a consulting basis to manage and coordinate the National Heritage Fellowships activities honoring the Fellowship recipients.
About the Reston Town Center Association
Reston Town Center Association (RTCA) is the mixed-use, governing association for the Reston Town Center, which is not only Reston’s downtown but a major employment and amenity center for the region. The association’s services benefit all those who live, work, play, and visit here. Core aspects of its mission include design review, support of transit-oriented development, and a strong commitment to the arts and community programming, all in furtherance of Reston Town Center’s destination proposition.
Enriching Lives. Building Community.
