9-05-2024 12:10pm

The sixth Annual Free Diversity Festival Featuring Multi-Cultural Music, Dance, Food, and Family Fun

Donnella Tilery Editor

Qing Yang Dance Group performer showcases her talent at the 2023 Diversity Festival in Somerville.

SOMERVILLE, NJ – Visit the sixth annual free Diversity Festival, where everyone belongs. The festival features multicultural music and dance performances, food trucks, games, activities, and prize drawings for people of all ages. The festival will take place along Main and Grove Streets in downtown Somerville on Sunday, Sept. 29, from 12 to 4 p.m.

“Every year the festival gets bigger and better. I don’t think there is another venue in the county where so many cultures are represented in one day,” said Somerset County Commissioner Director Shanel Y. Robinson. “Participating in the games and activities and enjoying the multicultural music are some of the best ways to break down barriers and learn about other cultures, which is what this festival is all about.”

See below for some of the many Diversity Festival participants. For a complete list of participants, visit 2024 SCDiversityFestival.

Music & Dance Performances From Around the Globe

Chill Mamas Dance Group NGO is a dance team made up of mostly empty-nest mothers who live in Somerset County. These mamas will exceed the audience’s expectations with an exotic Chinese classical dance performance.

Dance X Studio performs Bollywood-style dance seen in films and heavily influenced by traditional Indian folk dance. Dancers use hand, feet, face, and neck movements to create a unique and stunning performance.

Motor City Revue recreates an authentic tribute to Motown’s artists and songs by matching vocal harmonies with an instrumental mix of music from Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and more.

Viva Vallenato! Cumbia Band performs electrifying and uplifting folk music from Colombia, and South America, which showcases the cultural memory of the African, Native American, and European people.

Food Trucks for Foodies
Amanda Latin Cuisine offers diverse and vibrant food inspired by a rich blend of influences from indigenous European and African cultures. Food with distinct flavors, layers of seasoning, and contrasting tastes and textures will tickle the tastebuds.

Bites & Bowls creates a fusion concept for empanadas using exotic flavors. This healthy menu of fresh, quality food and unique flavors also offers fusion bowls, momos, and many other tasty bites.

KB&M Jamaican Food offers tasty bites with a fusion of spices and cooking techniques influenced by many cultures. Bold flavors with fresh, local ingredients make popular dishes like Jerk Chicken, fried plantain, and mac & cheese a culinary delight.

Los Munchies Food Truck has perfected deliciously flavorful food with an innovative take on traditional Mexico-inspired favorites like tacos and bubbles.

Creative Crafters

Blue Sky at Dusk offers handmade traditional Japanese crafts made with new and vintage kimono fabrics, ethnic decor items, and hand-carved furniture.

The Paree Project offers handmade multi-cultural clothing and scarves with proceeds that help women around the globe who cannot afford to purchase feminine hygiene products.

Diversity-Related Community Organizations

Exhibitors promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion will provide information about community resources, and free programs and services.

Magic and More

Everyone will have fun participating in games, prize drawings, and giveaways happening throughout the day. Parents can bring their children to the Kidz Zone to romp in a Bouncy House, and enjoy Conrad the Magician’s magic show, face painting, info-games, and more.

Prize Drawings

Prizes are donated by local businesses made possible through a partnership between the Diversity Festival Event Committee and the Somerset County Business Partnership.

Free Parking

Parking is free in Somerville at the Bernie Field Parking Deck on High Street or in the parking deck at 27 Warren St.

For up-to-date information about the Diversity Festival, visit 2024 SCDiversityFestival.

For more information about the festival, contact Diversity Committee Director Rheanah Johnson at rjhonson@co.somerset.nj.us.

Somerset County Diversity Festival

The Diversity Festival is sponsored by the Somerset County Board of County Commissioners, co-sponsored by the Downtown Somerville Alliance, and organized by the employees of Somerset County. The festival is one of several Somerset County diversity initiatives launched in 2019 to help educate, embrace, encourage, and support diversity among the county’s multicultural residents, and to help continue creating vibrant connections within the county’s communities.