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The smell of tacos, kebabs and crepes filled the air above the lawn out in front of Kendall Hall on Saturday afternoon as hundreds of community members gathered to celebrate the International Festival.
The 35th annual event, put on by the Associated Students Multicultural Affairs Council, gathered 20 student organizations in a showcase of their cultures.
Tables from all 20 organizations spread out across the lawn, displaying ethnic foods while traditional dancing kept students and community members entertained.
The sun-soaked event was aimed at bringing all the cultures together in one, big celebration, showing their togetherness, and also to gain proceeds for future events, said MAC member and former A.S. presidential candidate Christian Garcia.
Garcia, in his second year helping put on the event, thinks the festival is vital to the school, he said.
"It's important because it brings a sense of diversity to campus, and it gives everyone a chance to show off their culture," Garcia said.
Commissioner of Multicultural Affairs Josue Guzman agreed, calling the event irreplaceable.
Participating organizations included the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, Pakistan Student Association and the two-month-old Saudi Student Organization.
The Saudi organization was established in February by organization president Yasir Alhumaidi, with the support of the Saudi royal Embassy, Alhumaidi said.
The extravagant Saudi booth displayed the culture's past and future, Alhumaidi said. At the festival, the MAC recognized the group as the organization that best represented its culture.
"We wanted people to come over here to try new food and see a new culture," he said.
The organization was created in hopes of striking down Saudi stereotypes, said member Wail Ghazali.
A.S. Presents! and seven student organizations, including the Saudi organization and the Indian Student Association, which put on a dance routine similar to routine in the movie "Slumdog Millionaire," provided the entertainment.
But the real attraction to the event was the food, and every organization sold a unique piece of food from their cultures.
Near the end of the day, the MAC awarded the Pakistan Student Association with the best food. The Pakistani food featured a kebab and rice dish, standard to the culture.
The festival was a success, but it was slightly different than in previous years, Garcia said. Unlike last year, the event was held on campus, not downtown.
And for the first time, each participating organization created the International Festival council to help organize the event better and prevent each organization from "stepping on each other's toes," said MAC adviser Denise Crosswhite.
"It was easier to funnel information and give each organization the tools to represent themselves," she said.
Each organization had to register in early February and attend a meeting every Thursday leading up to the event, Crosswhite said.
MAC member Dolores Ramirez sat on the sub-committee, representing A.S.
"They wanted the festival to be better organized and this was the best way to do it, where there was no pressure," she said.
Overall, hundreds of students and community members flooded the campus, tasting all the food and celebrating all the different cultures.
"It truly feels like I'm traveling throughout the world," Garcia said.
Connor Ramey can be reached at
cramey@theorion.com
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