Notre Dame to celebrate International Festival Week

Author: McKenna Pencak

International Festival Week

For more than 40 years, the Department of International Student Services and Activities (ISSA) at the University of Notre Dame has hosted International Festival Week, a celebration of international heritage and culture. International Festival Week 2011 will take place from March 25 through April 2. Highlights include:

Asian Film Festival & Conference – On March 25 and 26 (Friday and Saturday), the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and DeBartolo Performing Arts Center will present the 2011 Asian Film Festival and Conference. This year’s film festival will showcase recent animated films from Japan, as well as pay tribute to internationally acclaimed director Satoshi Kon, who passed away in 2010. For more information, visit the Kellogg Institute website.

International Festival: A Sweet World – Join ISSA on March 29 (Tuesday) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the LaFortune Ballroom to sample desserts from around the world. In addition to indulging on sweet treats, attendees may participate in various international activities, including acupuncture, henna, a sale of Nepalese handicrafts, and performances by campus groups.

Latin Expressions 2011 – On April 1 (Friday) at 7 p.m., Latin history and culture will come to life at the South Bend Century Center for “Orígenes: Regresando a Nuestras Raíces,” a one-night-only spectacular of dance, song and ritmo presented by La Alianza. Tickets will be available at the door or the LaFortune Student Center box office during International Festival Week.

International Children’s FestivalISSA and University Village Apartments will host the International Children’s Festival on April 2 (Saturday) from 2 to 4 p.m. Children of all ages are invited to make international arts and crafts, get their faces painted and play games at the University Village Community Center.

Other International Festival Week events include an international breakfast, Spanish Mass, red-hot chili pepper eating contest, International Street Food Festival, and tour of the Snite Museum of Art’s Meso-American exhibits. For a complete schedule of events, please visit http://issa.nd.edu. All events are open to the public.

International Festival Week is presented by ISSA and co-sponsored by The Career Center, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Fischer O’Hara-Grace Graduate Residences, Kellogg Institute, La Alianza, Snite Museum of Art, and University Village and Cripe Street Apartments.

ISSA was established in 1969 to advise and support the international student community at the University of Notre Dame.

Contact: McKenna Pencak, mpencak@nd.edu