Published: March 31, 2008

The University of Colorado at Boulder will host its 16th annual International Festival on Saturday, April 12, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Glenn Miller Ballroom at the University Memorial Center.

The festival, which is free and open to the public, will feature the cultures and customs of more than 25 countries from around the world including China, England, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan and Russia.

The festival is expected to draw about 3,000 people and will feature a wide array of performers including the Middle Eastern dance group the Dancing Belly Buttons and Afro Pop Music from the Bizung Family.

Twenty-eight booths, each representing a different country or culture, will display information for festival visitors while also offering free samples of the country's cuisine. Food items expected to be offered include Thai fish cakes, Chinese hot and sour soup and English scones.

The festival is organized primarily by members of CU's international student community who volunteer their time and efforts over eight months of the school year. Members of this year's festival committee represent 13 different nationalities.

"The International Festival has always been a wonderful experience of discovery -- the discovery of different people and their cultures," said Yousef Alfulaij, vice-chair of the committee. "As we bring together various nationalities residing here in CU and have them join together in a single space, we find that though we have our differences, we are also similar where it counts."

For more information visit or contact Alfulaij or Kauai Alpha at CU-Boulder's International Student and Scholar Services at 303-492-8057.