Slovak dumplings, Irish music and Mexican street food are all on the menu at Central Park on Saturday, Sept. 12. Admission is free.
The Naperville Sister Cities Foundation is launching the city's first International Festival at 104 E. Benton Ave., running noon to 9 p.m. The free event expands what had been the Hispanic Heritage Festival for five years into a multi-cultural celebration featuring food, music and vendors representing Slovak, Hispanic, Irish, Lithuanian, Indian, Chinese and other communities.
"We just felt like we wanted it to be more inclusive, more expansive, so all the cultures that wanted to participate could do so," Patty Gustin, chairwoman of the Sister Cities Foundation, told NCTV17. "Share their food, their culture, their merchandising, and that was kinda where we grew from."
The lineup includes the Naperville Municipal Band and the Naperville Men's Glee Club, with the foundation tying the celebration to the United States' 250th anniversary, according to Positively Naperville.
The foundation will also honor Mike Havala, CEO and president of Loaves and Fishes Community Services, as this year's award recipient. Havala is of Slovakian descent with family ties to Naperville's sister city of Nitra, Slovakia. Gustin told NCTV17 that Havala has been instrumental in feeding families and connecting residents to services across the Naperville area.
What changed from the old festival
The Hispanic Heritage Festival ran for five years, recognizing Naperville's sister cities of Cancún and Pátzcuaro, Mexico, and kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month each fall. The Sister Cities Foundation's own website now counts this as the "6th annual Festival," signaling the event's lineage even as the format broadens to include all three sister cities: Nitra, Slovakia (since 1993), Pátzcuaro (since 2010) and Cancún.
What families need to know
- When: Saturday, Sept. 12, noon to 9 p.m.
- Where: Central Park, 104 E. Benton Ave. (downtown, adjacent to the Riverwalk)
- Cost: Free admission
- Food and vendors: Restaurants and businesses will set up booths with food, merchandise and cultural displays
- Full performer lineup: Available at the Sister Cities Foundation website
Parking and accessibility details for Central Park on Sept. 12 have not been posted. Families needing that information should check napervilleparks.org or contact the Sister Cities Foundation directly.
