FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 2, 2018
MILWAUKEE, WI – A variety of special events and activities will be highlighted throughout the grounds at the 75th annual Holiday Folk Fair International, America’s premiere multi-cultural festival, to be held Fri., Nov. 16 – Sun., Nov. 18, 2018, at the State Fair Park Exposition Center in West Allis, Wis.
The Holiday Folk Fair International’s annual “Cultural Awareness Program” on Nov. 16, will give more than 3,500 fourth through eighth grade students and teachers an opportunity to personally experience global connections through ethnic displays, workshops, mini language and genealogy classes, exhibits and demonstrations, music and dance performances, storytelling, food sampling, and a marketplace.
Approximately 200 individuals will accept the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship by participating in the Folk Fair’s annual Naturalization Ceremony on Nov. 16, at 2:30 p.m.
The Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Federation will conduct a tournament on Sat., Nov. 17, with individual and team trophies presented in three classes and medals given to all participants. The first round will commence at 11:00 a.m., with the awards ceremony scheduled for 4:30 p.m. The fee is $15 per player by 11 p.m. on Nov. 8, $20 by Nov. 14 at 11 p.m., and $25 for on-site registration by 10:30 a.m. Players can register at www.wisconsinscholasticchess.org, with payment made at the event.
An interdenominational religious service that brings a variety of ethnic groups together will be held Nov. 18, at 10:30 a.m. in the Coffeehouse and is open to the public.
New in 2018 is the Holiday Folk Fair Cinema on the second floor of the State Fair Park Exposition Center. Throughout the weekend, there will be viewings of the Milwaukee PBS documentary “A Hope for Tomorrow,” a two-part series on four Congolese refugees who have settled in Milwaukee. The story explains the path the four refugees took to arrive in Milwaukee and how a former Congolese refugee is helping them adjust to life in the city.
In addition, This Is Home, the winner of the 2018 Sundance Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary, will be shown daily in the Holiday Folk Fair Cinema. The movie follows four Syrian refugee families sent to resettle in Baltimore who have eight months to find jobs, learn English, and become self-sufficient. The film goes beyond the statistics and headlines to tell personal stories, putting a human face on the global refugee crisis.
Presented by the Milwaukee Public Museum on the Move, the organization’s archaeology-themed program enables viewers to learn about and celebrate cultures, both past and present. Folk Fair attendees will be allowed to handle and examine real artifacts from around the world and learn how material culture can tell a story about the people and culture that used them. Participants will learn what clues scientists use when analyzing artifacts and what found objects can tell about a culture.
A program of the IIW, Holiday Folk Fair International celebrates the cultural heritage of the people living in southeastern Wisconsin. This year’s theme, “Celebrate the Culture of Diversity,” will allow Fair-goers the opportunity to honor a community of people bound together by common ties, such as language, customs and beliefs, by what they think, how they behave, what they value, and what they pass on to the next generation.
Special attractions in 2018 include invited international performers and artisans, photographic exhibits, the Artisan corner, the Milwaukee Art Museum presents Kohl’s Color Wheels, the Wisconsin Woodturners, the Dirty Kettle Native American interactive display, a bonsai exhibit, and the annual Naturalization Ceremony on Fri., Nov. 16, at 2:30 p.m.
The three-day event features the All Nations Theater with traditional music and dance, the World Café offering traditional dishes, the International Stage where young people perform their ethnic dances, the Tanzhauz (Music Pavilion) where attendees dance and sing along with a variety of musical styling’s, the Coffee House where patrons enjoy a beverage and baked goods while listening to talented musicians, Heritage Lane with unique traditions and customs through interactive exhibits, the International Bazaar where cultural artifacts create a unique shopping experience, and the Chef’s Stage featuring local chefs preparing traditional cuisine.
Hours on Fri., Nov. 16 are 2 p.m. – 9 p.m.; 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 17; and 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sun., Nov. 18.
Admission at the gate will be $12 for adults; $8 for children ages 6 to 12; children under the age of five will be admitted at no charge. Those 62 and over will be admitted for $10, and all military personnel with a military ID card will be admitted free.
For more information on the 2018 Holiday Folk Fair International, visit www.folkfair.org or call the IIW at 414-225-6225.