GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — On Saturday, the Grand Rapids Public Museum is holding a one-day celebration of the diverse cultures and organizations in West Michigan.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Cultural Heritage Festival, previously known as the Ethnic Heritage Festival, will highlight different cultures in a celebration held throughout the museum off Pearl Street NW at Front Avenue.
On the first floor, the Galleria will be full of tables for the 28 co-hosts’ organizations:
- A Glimpse of Africa
- ASSE International Student Exchange Program
- American Arab Intellectual Property Association
- Ballet Folklórico GR
- Banjo Jim
- Cynthia Hagedorn Fine Arts Studio – “The Property”
- Edelweiss Club of Grand Rapids & Edelweiss Choir
- GVSU Euphoria A Cappella
- Gaelic League/Irish-American Club of West Michigan
- Golden Tiger Kung Fu Academy
- Grand Rapids Scottish Society
- Grand Rapids Sister Cities International
- Guelaguetza Designs
- Hispanic Center of Western Michigan
- Korean Connection
- Kpop Group Evolution
- Krishna House
- La Furia Del Ritmo
- Lotus Boyz
- Margaret Vega
- Mexican Heritage Association of West Michigan
- Michigan Hiryu Daiko
- Motherland Cultural Connections LLC
- Pewa African Jewelries
- Picardo Colours LLC
- Polish Heritage Society
- Taste of Africa Michigan LLC
- West Michigan Asian American Association
On the second floor, the museum cafe will be offering foods from around the globe and the Meijer Theater will have performances from participating organizations. In between the performances, the museum will screen “Nuestros Muertos” in the Meijer Theater.
“It’s a documentary following a family in Oaxaca, Mexico, during their Day of the Dead celebrations,” Sara Olson, marketing manager at GRPM, explained.
In the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, the museum will offer a sneak peek at a new bilingual planetarium show called “Big Astronomy.” It will officially premiere in November.
Aside from the festival, the museum has two cultural exhibits on display.
“We have ‘A Celebration of Souls: Day of the Dead in Southern Mexico.’ We partnered with a couple of our organizations that will be in attendance on Saturday, so they’ll be there representing the exhibit,” Olson said.
The museum also has a permanent exhibit titled Anishinabek: The People of this Place which focuses on the Native American culture in the region.
The festival is included in museum admission.
