On April 2, 2026, Manual held its seventh annual Multicultural Fair. The fair consisted of a session of artistic performances and another session with booths of cultural foods and educational posters.
“This year’s multicultural fair was amazing. There was an excellent amount of diversity in both the performances and booths,” Lilly Rogers (10, VA).
The show consisted of two programs, with Prisha Hedau (10, MST) hosting the first and Kyran Kennedy (11, YPAS) hosting the second. Many of the performances included lively, fast-paced dances, such as Manual’s Black Student Union and Bollywood group NAACH’s dances.
There were also pieces with a more serious tone, like Cadence Sanders’ (10, YPAS) dance to “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. Another was Alex De La Rosa’s (11, YPAS) poem about Mexican Americans’ hardships and heritage.
The show served as a beautiful display of the diverse cultures at Manual, with fantastic choreography, eye-catching costumes and talented performers. This professional level of talent carried over into the booth session of the air, where students served food, asked trivia questions and taught about their cultures.
“I really enjoyed the foods and drink in the small gym in particular as it was a great way to try new things and expose myself to other cultures,” Caitlin Casey (10, VA) said.
Out of the samples, Casey particularly liked the pork and rice from Cuba and the milk rice from Sri Lanka.
Overall, the booths represented a wide range of countries, such as Taiwan, Ethiopia and France. Outside of country displays, there were also booths about the Louisville Free Public Library, Manual’s feminist club Girl Up and David Garrett (Social Studies).
The Multicultural Fair is an incredibly significant tradition at Manual.
“Remember to show excellence through learning, honor diversity through respect and honor the traditions that shape culture through the world,” Principal Michael Newman said.
The fair gives students the opportunity to share an insight into their personal cultural experiences through a variety of ways, from food to dance to poetry. In this way, everyone has a chance to perform for, educate or learn from their peers.
