This Labor Day weekend marked the 15th annual WorldFest as the Belvedere filled with people from all over Louisville and residing areas. With 120 languages spoken within JCPS, culture is a very important part of the community.
People gathered around the stages to watch dance and music performances, while others indulged in the variety of food or strolled through the retail booths.
“I think that WorldFest stands for unity and acceptance,” Sofia Devenuto (11, J&C) said.
For most Manual students who were able to enjoy the celebrations, their favorite parts were tasting all the different foods that were offered at WorldFest.
“I really enjoyed being exposed to all the different cultures and their cuisines,” Delaney Hawkins (11, YPAS) said.
While the food and great performances were enjoyed by all, the ever present political climate of today was in the back of some people’s minds.
“Especially in Louisville, some people can be very narrow minded when it comes to politics so it’s nice to be at an event that has so much culture and ways to learn about people from other places,” John Bingaman (10, YPAS) said. “Understanding that everyone has a story and that those stories are unique and valid just shows how different this festival is.”
Experiencing different culture, trying their foods, listening to their music and buying their goods aren’t the only things people at WorldFest can enjoy. Representatives from the Kentucky Refugee Ministry, the Kentucky Peace Corps Association, the American Red Cross and the Volunteers of America set up booths to spread their missions with festival attendees.
“Everyone [who was] there is different in some way and no one was there to point fingers or degrade someone else’s culture. [WorldFest] is a celebration of life and culture and the people of Louisville,” Bingaman said.
