With a warm and welcoming invitation to “Join US,” Orlando’s annual FusionFest is seeking contributors of all backgrounds to take part in a second year of multicultural celebration.
Launched last fall as an opportunity for Orange County’s diverse ethnic communities to share their rich traditions, the free two-day event will return to downtown Orlando Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, 2019. And once again, this “diversitastic” undertaking is calling upon representatives of the many nationalities and regions that make our area home to tell their stories via music, dance, food, fashion, film, poetry and authentic handcrafted goods.
The inaugural FusionFest drew approximately 8,000 attendees, who descended upon the city center on Thanksgiving weekend to sample the artistic and culinary offerings of more than 100 represented heritages. Parades, performances and contests spotlighted the best each participating culture had to offer, with a special emphasis on “fusion” projects that welded the sights, sounds and styles of seemingly disparate communities.
This year’s event promises to be bigger and better, with a wider net of participants and greater representation for all. To that end, a stepped-up outreach campaign is already under way to solicit the participation of even more musical acts, dance troupes, fashion designers, spoken-word artists, singers, filmmakers, culinary wizards and artisans. Sponsorships and other promotional partnerships are also being sought to bring the FusionFest mission of fun and friendship to new heights of visibility. And there are opportunities for volunteers and fundraisers as well.
Interested parties can register for the 2019 event at: FusionFest.org/Join-Us
Terry Olson, the festival’s architect and “Chief Instigator,” sums up its appeal: By showing up to share a smile and your personal heritage, he says, “you may discover just how different other people really aren’t!”
FusionFest is a project of the Downtown Arts District, with support from Orange County Government, the Orlando Downtown Development Board, at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. In its inaugural edition, the event received the Award of Excellence in the Downtown Orlando Partnership’s Golden Brick Awards.
For media inquiries, contact:
Thali Sugisawa, Business Maven, FusionFest
hello@fusionfest.org; (407) 574-1312; or
Terry Olson, Director of Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs
terry.olson@ocfl.net; (407) 836-5540