Ball State University International Festival

Amazing Taste and International Festival at Ball State University November 10

The Ball State University Rinker Center for International Programs, the Multicultural Center, the University Program Board, and Housing and Student Government are joining forces with Ball State Dining Services to sponsor this year’s International Festival. The event will be called “The Amazing Taste: Global Food Fair and International Fest,” and will be held in the Student Center on November 10 from 4-8 P.M. This year’s event will feature a street fair atmosphere with cuisine from more than 20 countries, cultural activities and displays, and live music and dancing. An international dance party ends the evening from 8-10 P.M.

The University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) will be providing maps and posters for the country booths at the International Festival. Every week the GRMC provides posters for the Culture Exchange at the Rinker Center for International Programs, and many of these countries will be represented at this event. Some of the countries represented are Morocco, Scotland, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Japan, Italy, and Brazil.

Ball State Dining Services will host an elaborate multicultural menu from around the world. Students can use their meal card for this event. Cost for the food fair is $7.55 for students, $8 for non-students, $5 for children ages 3-12, and free for ages 2 and under. Pre-purchasing of wristbands begins in the Student Center Tally on Monday, November 7. View the complete menus here: http://cms.bsu.edu/CampusLife/Dining/Specials/TheAmazingTaste/AmazingTaste2011Menu.aspx.

Access to the cultural displays and activities is free. Visitors can participate in salsa dance lessons, visit a New York City-style mock cosmo lounge, a photo booth, and a global fashion show. The fair will include live camels, Scottish dancers and bagpipes, the PanUSA steel drum band, the Ball State Belly Dance Club, and hip hop dancers. Visitors can also get henna tattoos, participate in a Capoeira lesson (Brazilian martial art), and watch Taekwondo demonstrations. The complete list of events is here: http://cms.bsu.edu/CampusLife/Dining/Specials/TheAmazingTaste/AmazingTaste2011PerformancesandActivities.aspx.

For more information about using maps and other resources from the GRMC for classroom displays, exhibits, and other special events, please call 765-285-1097 or email mgentry@bsu.edu.