We recently created a Facebook page for Mosaic Festival 2012. We are really excited about it and hope you will help us spread the word, but “liking” us (you can do that by clicking the link at the bottom of the blog). Also, please “share” our Mosaic Festival 2012 page with others in your network to help us spread the word. Can’t wait to see you there on June 2nd – only 5 weeks away!!
We have so many amazing performers, artists and vendors on board already that it’s impossible for this year’s Mosaic Festival – June 2nd – not be better than ever! To give you a sneak peak we’ve got everything from Afro-Fusion to Samba to Gypsy folk and everything in between. Due to the large numbers of performers and festival goers, we’re expanding the event this year to extend the boundaries, add a side stage for dance, widen the participants to include even more cultural talent from more and even added an extra two hours. Our partners over at New Arrivals Institute are hosting an awesome Family Area featuring bouncy tent, mask making, balloons, face painting and crafts for all ages. Meanwhile, we’re working on the set up for the ever popular ethnic street fair and beer garden and even adding a VIP Tent for Friends of the Festival!
We hope you’re excited as we are about a great 2012 Mosaic! This year’s event will be held on Saturday June 2nd at Festival Park. Our team is hard at work pulling together another fantastic celebration of food, music, and art and already have some exciting new additions to our line up. Check back March 15th for for 2012 participant information and applications up on the site.
The 2011 Mosaic Festival: International Food and Music in Downtown Greensboro was a wonderful day full of incredible food, music, art and community. Over 3300 North Carolinians came out to Festival Park on Saturday May 21st to enjoy the event – more than tripling our crowd from the first year! The weather was perfect, the music and dance kept us all dancing throughout the day and nearly everyone we saw was busy trying a new culinary treat from the ethnic food fair.
Check out the great write up in Yes! Weekly and watch the live coverage and attendee interviews by young budding reporters from the Central Highlands of Vietnam:
Here are some of our favorite photos. If you were at the event and took some great photos or video yourself, please share with us! MosaicFest@gmail.com.
Diali Cissokho of Kairaba! (All Rights Reserved Photo: Lisa Deluca)
Mexican Cowboy Dance (Photo: Lisa Deluca, All Rights Reserved)
Corissa Khemvisai - Laos (Photo: Lisa Deluca, All Rights Reserved)
Ndabarushimana Christopher (Photo: Lisa Deluca, All Rights Reserved)
Mexican Fiesta (Photo: Lisa Deluca, All Rights Reserved)
Thanks again to everyone for a great day – see you next year!
Kairaba!
We’re just five days away from the 2011 MOSAIC Festival in downtown Greensboro (May 21st, 2pm – 8pm Festival Park – rain or shine) and we couldn’t be more excited about our amazing line up of incredible musicians and performers. If you haven’t yet already, go over and check out the performers page to learn more about our artists. In addition to the fabulous music that will keep us on our feet dancing throughout the day, we’ve got a stellar line up of culinary delights, art, jewelry, crafts and information in the ethnic street fair.
And without further ado, here’s this year’s program of events. There’s enough great music squeezed into every crevice of the day, you’re not going to have to miss a minute of it!
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Watan Palestinian Dance Group (Palestine) * Nbitoneras Gospel Singers (DRC) * Geeta Khatiwada (Bhutan) * Montagnard Folk Dance (Vietnam) * Karka Dahal (Bhutan)
3: 15 – 4:00 pm
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Mexican Fiesta (Mexico) * Ndaburashima Christopher (Burundi) * Corrisa Khemvisai and the Laotian Dance (Laos) * Dhan Gurung (Bhutan)* The Cowboy Dance (Mexico) * Bihani Dance Group (Bhutan)
5:15 pm – 6:00 pm
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
United African Sisterhood Fashion Show * Nar Mainali (Bhutan) * Leoni Ilunga (DRC) * Habtom Berhe (Eritrea) * Kwesi Immanuel (Canada)
7:15 pm – 8:00 pm
We’ll see you there! In the meantime – check us out on Facebook!
The 2nd Annual Mosaic Festival: International Food and Music in Downtown Greensboro (free admission!) is upon us. This year’s event is shaping up to be a fantastic celebration of diversity in our community with a jam packed schedule of events and a full house of ethnic food vendors, crafts, jewelry, games for kids, and information booths surrounding the park.
The 2011 Mosaic Festival will take place on Saturday, May 21st from 2pm – 8pm in Festival Park (200 N. Davie St) in downtown Greensboro. After an outstanding turnout last year, we’ve expanded the length of the event and have added a number of new musicians including some of North Carolina’s most popular international bands. This year’s headliners The Brand New Life (Global Jazz / Funk), Braco (Latin Rock), and Kairaba! (West African Dance Band) will perform alongside an array of amateur musicians and dancers from more than a dozen countries around the world (see full line up at: 2011 Mosaic Line-Up).
As you listen to the incredible music, wander through the marketplace where you can peruse handmade crafts and jewelry. If you’re feeling confident you can even stop by the CWS Citizenship Booth and test your civics skills before heading over to the ethnic street food fair featuring snacks from 15 different countries – a favorite fixture of last year’s event! Come hungry and ready to try something new! An inflatable moonwalk for the kidsand a Natty Greene’s Beer Garden for the adults will give everyone a chance to have fun, relax, and enjoy the show.
Mosaic Festival 2011 is put on by the Immigration and Refugee Program of Church World Service Greensboro with the generous contributions and support of our community sponsors and our volunteer planning team which includes members of Leadership Greensboro and New Arrivals Institute (among many others) who provided tremendous support, encouragement, and resources throughout the planning process.
We hope you will join us for the festival on Saturday, May 21st from 2pm-8pm at Festival Park.
The Brand New Life
We’re excited to announce the amazing performers that will be participating in the 2011 Mosaic Festival this year on May 21st from 2pm- 8pm in downtown Greensboro at Festival Park. This year’s line-up promises a day full of incredible music, dance, and entertainment from musical traditions from across the globe.
Headlining the evening is The Brand New Life, a high energy seven piece band that (from their site) “draws on musical techniques and traditions from around the globe, mixing world-inspired rhythms and melodies with jazzy horns, psychedelic roots rock guitar, [and] funky bass lines…”
Braco
JUST ADDED: “North Carolina’s hottest Latin rock ensemble” BRACO has just been added to our line up of fantastic headliners! Braco’s fusion of latin, jazz, and rock at the hands of Nicaraguan-American guitarist Cesar Oviedo, backed by a band of accomplished musicians, draws well earned comparisons to Carlos Santana and is a crowd favorite.
Mosaic is also honored to have renowned musical guest Kairaba! whose music (from their site:) “is an infectious sound reminiscent of West African dance bands full of unison melody, adventurous improvisation, [and] fiery solos. With lyrics in Manding, Wolof, and English, Kairaba! illuminates it’s
Kairaba!
listeners with stories of ancient and modern West Africa and how they relate to today’s universal experiences and emotions felt by everyone, regardless of origin.”
Rounding out the evening will be performances by refugee artists from Burundi, Dem. Rep. of Congo, Bhutan, Vietnam, South Sudan and Eritrea, including favorites from last year Ndabarushimana Christopher and The Ntiboneras Gospel Singers. We’re also looking forward to checking out Greensboro newcomer Kwesi Immanuel.
Check out our full line-up and see videos below:
Also Featuring:
Ndabarushimana Christopher (Burundi)
The Ntiboneras Gospel Singers (Dem. Rep. of Congo)
Nar Mainali (Bhutan)
The Dinka Dancers (South Sudan)
Watan Palestinian Dance Troupe (Palestine)
Dhan Gurung (Bhutan)
Leoni Ilunga (Dem. Rep. of Congo)
Montangard Traditional Dancers (Vietnam)
Kharka Dahal (Bhutan)
The United African Sisterhood (Fashion Show)
Check back for updates!
