DANBURY, CONN. — From classic Indian, belly and Bollywood dancing to reggae, raggae and reggaeton music, the Multicultural Fair at Western Connecticut State University will celebrate the diversity of our community.

In collaboration with various community organizers, including Danbury Children First and the Girls Scouts of Connecticut, the university will hold the event Friday, May 8, from 4 to 9 p.m. on the Midtown campus quad, 181 White St. in Danbury.

“The university believes that diversity is a resource and a priority, and it’s important to our educational mission,” said WCSU director of multicultural affairs and affirmative action Bryan Samuel. “It’s important to have an active role in supporting these types of programs because they expose people to various cultural programs and activities that are prevalent in Danbury and the region.”

The event will showcase arts and crafts, businesses, services and food from a wide variety of local eateries. The food samples include fried wontons and sticky chicken fingers from Danbury’s Pho Vietnam restaurant and rotisserie chicken and ribs from Amigos Deli.

Flags from more than 100 countries will be on display and there will be more than a dozen cultural and ethnic group performances, including dance from Sons of Portugal Folklore Dance Group and Nida Chillara Dance School.

“Learning to embrace the traditions of other cultures enriches our lives and draws people to the community,” Samuel said. “The more your community grows, the deeper and richer and more inviting it is.”

The schedule of events is as follows:

4:15 p.m. Introduction by Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton

4:25 p.m. National Anthem led by Archipello

4:35 p.m. Girl Scouts of Connecticut – flags of the world parade

5 p.m. Asavari Dance School of White Plains, N.Y., will perform classical Indian dances

5:20 p.m. JumpOff Entertainment will play raggae, reggaeton and reggae

music

5:55 -
7 p.m. Riskallah Riyad Dance Theatre Company will perform belly dancing; Alay Philippine Cultural Group of Greater Danbury will perform Philippine folk and Polynesian dance; Indian Association of Greater Danbury will perform Bollywood dance; Nidhi Chillara Dance School will perform Indian classical dance; Arthur Murray Dance Studio will perform the hustle, samba and Brazilian dance; and Colombian Cumbia will perform Colombian folk dance

7:15 p.m. HuaXia Chinese School will sing, including Chinese folk songs

7:35 p.m. Ecuadorian Civic Center will perform traditional dances from coastal and mountainous regions of eastern Ecuador.

Participating restaurants also include: Starbucks, Desert Moon Café, El Milennio, Elmer’s Diner — all of Danbury, and Sprinkles Ice Cream of New Fairfield. Organizers and sponsors include Boehringer Ingelheim, The News-Times, Danbury Children First, Western Connecticut State University, Scholastic, Girl Scouts of Connecticut and WCSU Club Impact.

For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.