Festál at Seattle Center is a free series of annual ethnically-related festivals that take place on the grounds of Seattle Center in Seattle, Washington. A major cultural program of Seattle, these festivals aim to celebrate and connect the city to its varied ethnic and international community. Most festivals contain various arts performances (dances, theatre, musical ensembles, films), dances, marketplace and other programs. These have also come to be the annual gathering place for ethnic groups of the community. Both older and younger people attend, especially the dances and musical concerts.
The Festál events range enormously in scope, from smaller festivals to the enormous pan-ethnic Northwest Folklife Festival, which draws an estimated 250,000 visitors on Memorial Day weekend. Typical Festál events draw 5,000 to 30,000 visitors. Some (such as Fiestas Patrias) of them draw crowds that are predominantly of the ethnic group that is the focus of the festival; others draw more of a cross-section of the city.
Festál began in 1996 and as of 2009 includes:
Read more about Festál At Seattle Center: Vietnam: Têt Festival, African American: Festival Sundiata, Ireland: The Irish Week Festival, Japan: Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival, Asia-Pacific: Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration, West Africa: Spirit of West Africa, China: Chinese Culture and Arts Festival, Philippines: Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival, Iran: Iranian Festival, France: Bastille Day, Arab Middle East: Arab Festival, Brazil: BrasilFest, Tibet: TibetFest, Korea: Korean Cultural and Art Festival, Hawai`i: Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival, Mexico and Latin America: Fiestas Patrias, Italy: Festa Italiana, Croatia: CroatiaFest, South Asia: Utsav South Asian Performing Arts Festival, Turkey: TurkFest, Mexico: Día De Muertos, Hmong: Hmong New Year Celebration, Festivals
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