The 24th Annual Skokie Festival of Cultures will be held this weekend on May 17-18 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Oakton Park (4701 W Oakton Street). Admission is free.
Since 1991, the third weekend in May has been set aside to celebrate Skokie’s diverse community. More than 25,000 visitors are drawn to the festival for its ethnic entertainment, music, food, merchandise, and arts and crafts. There are also activities specifically for children.
“It’s fun to see all the families from our community get to together and share pieces of their culture and experiences. It’s like a giant UN block party,” Skokie resident Maggie Quane said. “You can hear the music and smell the delicious food from blocks away. We look forward to it every year.”
This year’s participating cultures consist of:
Armenian, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Bangladeshi, Belizean, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Cuban, Czech, Filipino, German, Haitian, Hellenic (Greek), Indian, Indonesian, Iraqi, Irish, Israeli, Jamaican/West Indian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Luxembourgian, Mexican, Norwegian, Pakistani, Polish, Russian, Slovakian, Swedish, Thai, Tibetan, Turkish and United States.
Over 80 languages are spoken in Skokie and events like these not only showcase the pride that comes from living in such a diverse and unique area but bring us together to celebrate our own culture as well as appreciate and learn about others. Be sure not miss out on this fun opportunity!
