Love your neighbor: DiverCity Festival Preview

girls dancing in brightly colored clothing

Explore 70+ culture booths downtown on Saturday, May 25. | Photo provided by Paul Martin, DiverCity Lexington

Paul Martin

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This Sat., April 30 marks the return of the DiverCity Festival, a full day of educating, embracing, and celebrating the many cultures woven into the fabric of Lexington.

Today, we’re sharing with you what you can expect when you make your way to Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza, 120 N. Limestone + how you can help encourage inclusivity in our community.

The deets

  • The family-friendly celebration is tomorrow, Sat., April 30 from 12-7 p.m.
  • The focal point of the day will be the main stage on Short Street which will showcase ~30 cultural performances.
  • The courthouse plaza will be bustling with business and nonprofit vendors.
  • Fayette County Public Schools is sponsoring a fun-filled kids area.
  • Visitors will be treated to some flavorful food and drink spots such as Sav’s Chill, Jasmine Rice, West Sixth + a couple of Latin-American pop-ups.

DiverCity Board President Michael Kunjoo said with the city joining as a co-host, this is the first downtown festival since the pandemic started. “We’re shutting down Limestone. Lexington always looks the same on the weekend, we want to throw a wrench + make it something completely new.”

Who is DiverCity?

The group (aka planning committee) originally started as a Leadership Lexington project + hosted its first festival in 2019. The goal is in its tagline — Educate. Embrace. Celebrate.

“People don’t know about all of these cultures in our community. We want to create an opportunity so there’s more of a level of comfort for people to represent themselves and when others approach them. An intersection where cultures can work together,” Michael said.

In the future, the group aims to be more involved in schools + with school-age children. “We want to encourage students to share, express, and represent their culture,” said Michael.

If you’re interested in volunteering or becoming a board member of DiverCity, reach out here.

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