The651.com

The annual Festival of Nations takes place this weekend, May 5-8, at Saint Paul RiverCentre. The 79^th Anniversary event is available to students only in the morning and afternoon on Thursday and Friday, but open to the general public Friday, 4-10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The event features food, folk art demonstrations, an international bazaar, cultural exhibits, dance and music in themes from countries and cultures throughout the world.

I ventured in with my daughter Anna on Thursday morning as hoards of students were being dropped off by buses in front of RiverCentre.  We took in the food area first, which offers a variety of courses from nearly 40 ethnic “cafes.” I can’t vouch for the authenticity, but most of it looked great and the items that we tried were delicious (nothing wrong with Korean BBQ for breakfast). Those who possess a sweet tooth will be especially pleased, having many options to choose from, including the Frosty Kaffee with Whipped Cream and Chocolate Drizzle at the Swiss café, to the Sweet Sushi Plate at the booth representing Japan.

Next we were on to the Bazaar and Folk Art Demonstrations. The Bazaar is a large shopping area that offers cultural crafts, clothing, jewelry, toys and countless other items from around 50 vendors.  The Folk Art demonstrations were a pleasant surprise; there seemed to be genuine craftsmanship associated with artists participating and the exhibits offer a wide variety of displays.

Needless to say Festival of Nations is a great family event. This was my first visit and surprisingly, it wasn’t too kitschy. The teenagers in attendance seemed entertained and engaged. Several were sporting items that were recently purchased and they were interacting with many of the artists. My 4-year-old daughter was thoroughly entertained, by the food and market, though the crowd became a little overwhelming after a while. The cost of admission is reasonable ($7 for youth, $10 for adults), prices for the food were modest and the market area offered a wide range of items that cost as little as a couple of bucks to fairly expensive merchandise.

For more information on the Festival of Nations, go to festivalofnations.com.