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Diversity Festival rocks Grant and Lafayette

by jmaloni
Fri, May 25th 2012 07:00 am

Celebrate Diversity and Share Your Cultural Heritage

The Taste of Diversity Festival will be held Saurday, June 2, at Grant Street and Lafayette Avenue in Buffalo. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Continuing its tradition of showcasing Buffalo's rich ethnic heritage, the 2012 Taste of Diversity Festival will celebrate a range of cultures through food, historical displays, music and dance, art exhibits and crafts.

Admission to the festival is free. Music starts at 11 a.m. Food will be provided by local restaurants and will provide festivalgoers with a taste of the multiethnic flavor of Buffalo. This year the festival will highlight the traditional flavors of Native American, Nepalese, Ethiopian, Italian, Puerto Rican, German, Bhutanese, Peruvian, Lebanese and Southern American cuisine. Food tickets are $1 each, and items cost between one and six tickets.

Entertainment is scheduled to take place on the main stage and at various locations around the festival.

The event will also feature family activities , interactive displays, and art shows, as well as various vendors and exhibitors.

All are welcome to attend.

For more information, visit:
 www.tasteofdiversity.org or tasteofdiversity.facebook.com.

The Taste of Diversity Festival benefits the community by helping to revitalize the area and by highlighting the people and cultures that make up the West Side community. Each year, the festival is organized by a group of dedicated volunteers with a commitment to promoting inclusion and to enhancing the quality of life for residents of Buffalo.

The celebration was founded in 2003. It started as a grassroots gathering when diverse neighbors came together at Our Lady of Loretto church to share their culinary skills and cultural heritage through music, dance and food.

By 2007, the gathering had grown to more than 1,000 attendees and more than 20 different ethnic and cultural groups represented. In 2010, the City of Buffalo acknowledged the gathering as an official festival and, in 2011, the Taste of Diversity grew into a city celebration of one of the most diverse zip codes in the county.

This year the festival expects to attract between 2000- 3000 attendees during the event.

 Main Stage entertainment provided by:

Fleuron Rouge


N'Dais


The Rockaz


Step in Time


Honest Penny


Sitar Jams


Our Lady of Hope Kids Choir


Bhutanese Dance


Nadia Middle Eastern Dancers


Belly Dancers


African Drum and Dance


Reggae, R&B, Funk


Irish & Scottish Traditional


Euro Folk


East Indian


French & Mixed


Bhutanese


Lebanese


Italian American


Food and beverages provided by:


Lucy Ethiopian


Whole Hog


Pure Peru


RJ Funnel Cakes & Fried Veggies


Lemonade Stand


Ferrante's Specialty Italian


O'Connell's American Bistro


Sand Plaintain (from West Side Bazaar)


Roaming Buffalo


Neto Hatinakwe Onkwehowe


Puerto Rican Bakery


Sun International


Willie's Little Corner


Ethiopian


Southern American


Peruvian


German & Dutch


American


Italian


French/Vietnamese


African


Buffalo Favorites


Native American


Puerto Rican


Thai


Caribbean


Nepalese


The Taste of Diversity Festival is funded by Niagara District Common Council Member
David Rivera, PUSH Buffalo, Grant-Ferry Association, Buffalo State Community Academic Center, M&T Bank, KeyBank, First Niagara Bank, Houghton College, Sisters of St. Mary
Our Lady of Hope Parish, Lorigo's Meating Place Inc, Royal Printing, Grant Street Neighborhood Center, West Side Business & Taxpayers' Association, Buffalo Public Schools,
Multilingual Education Department, University at Buffalo/The State University of New York, 257 Lafayette Center, International Institute of Buffalo, Journey's End Refugee Services Inc, CEM, Falls Tent and Awning, G&L Flooring, Pencil In the, River Studio, Niagara Spotlight, Westside Stories.

The Taste of Diversity Festival is sponsored by PUSH Buffalo & the Grant-Ferry Association, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

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