The Festival of Nations, recognized as the largest multicultural event in the region, returned to Tower Grove Park on the steamy weekend of Aug. 24-25, with a full slate of performers, food, and retail vendors representing more than 80 countries.
More than 100,000 people visited Tower Grove to taste international cuisine, gather knowledge from community information booths and workshops, and enjoy live entertainment with music from around the globe.
This year the festival also featured an International Fashion Show, showcasing diverse designers from the St. Louis region and beyond.
“We have lived in the neighborhood for over 10 years, and we come pretty much every year,” said Nathan Russell, who braved a heat indeed over 100 degrees.
Russell noted that the arts & crafts section was blended with the festival’s food area which he called an improvement.
Justin Christian said, “the food has been great, the talent has been great.”
“The food [here], you can’t find anywhere else. There are different cultural backgrounds you don’t see every day as well.”
There were also some first timers at the Festival of Nations including Avi Nazzeo, who shared he has an Italian, Sicilian, and Jewish background.
“This is my first time being here and so far, it has been really cool. I can definitely see myself come to something like this every year,” said Nazzeo.
Mark Hopper and his family also came away with a positive experience.
“We’ve been really enjoying the weather today, the food has been great, we are just amazed by how many vendors are here, and how many countries are represented,” Hopper said.
Dan Martino has been attending this event for a decade and puts it atop the list.
“My family and I do about 12 to 14 festivals every year and this is my favorite one,” Martino said.