Festival of Nations marks 54 years of celebrating diversity in the Capital Region

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ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) —The sights, sounds, and flavors of cultures from around the world came together under one roof on Sunday for the annual Festival of Nations. With 26 different countries filling the Empire State Plaza’s Convention Center, each was celebrating what makes their culture unique with more than 3,000 people who came to see!

The Festival of Nations has been bringing people together for 54 years, and the reason it keeps coming back goes beyond just the great tasting foods. It’s about learning to celebrate culture in many different ways.

“I think people can appreciate the different cultures and different thinking and different arts and food and everything and then they can also see how well we can work together. See, there are few nations politically that are against each other, but here it’s all friends,” said Manoj Ajmera, Chairman for Festival of Nations.

News10’s Tyanna Xavier had the chance to watch a few dance performances, including the Afghan American Community on stage. They weren’t just sharing their traditional dance; they also wanted to highlight how their organization supports and connects people.

“We are mostly helping and educating the refugees, especially new Afghans, and we are bringing them together and want them to connect with other communities,” said Yousaf Sherzad- Vice President of the Afghan American Community and dance performer.

And this was the perfect place to do so. There was also a Miss Festival of Nations competition, but whoever wins it won’t just be for the title.

“I can spread care and compassion and awareness for unity. Unity is hard here since events like this don’t happen usually and events like this spread unity and they force people to come together, which is a pretty good thing for our country,” said Dua Aziz, Miss Festival of Nations contestant for Pakistan.

Along with the dances and tons of food to go around this event had people in extravagant costumes and cultural wear, handmade artwork, jewelry, vendors for jobs and more. 

“I love to be at events like this because knowledge is power. I get to know the whole world. I get to talk to people and help people who want to build a career in real estate, they want to get a license, so doing it all,” said Hassan Khan, vendor at event and owner of The Peoples Real Estate Group.

The Festival of Nations gave people in the community the chance to travel the world without leaving Albany. Showcasing that no matter how different we are, there is always something there that connects us.

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Tyanna Xavier

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