The third Annual Multi-Cultural Festival, sponsored by the Multi-Ethnic Education and Economic Development Center, is planned for noon to 5 p.m. on April 9 at the Peak Academy, 4605 Live Oak St. in Dallas. And the seventh annual Dallas International Festival will be at 2 p.m. April 10 at the Majestic Theater, 1925 Elm St.
The International Festival, sponsored by DFW International, a nonprofit organization that focuses on ethnic organizations in North Texas, will feature cultural performances from 20 ethnic groups.
The festival will showcase drummers from Africa and Korea. Traditional folk dances from Thailand, India, the Philippines, Kurdistan as well as Spain and Russia will be featured.
"During the intermission, the children in the audience will be invited to the orchestra pit to participate in a multicultural drumming circle," said Anne Marie Weiss-Armush, president of DFW International.
In 2003, Ms. Weiss-Armush announced that she might have to discontinue the festival because of lack of funding. She said she has resurrected the festival this year because of the growing need to learn about our diverse communities in North Texas.
"I'm doing this for our children," Ms. Weiss-Armush said. "Through events like the festival, we can learn about each other's customs and cultures. By doing this, our children can learn to respect our differences, not shun them."
Advance tickets are $5 to $8 at Ticketmaster and through www.dfwinternational.org. Tickets are $6 to $10 at the door. For more information, call Ms. Weiss-Armush at 972-661-2764.
The Multi-Ethnic Education and Economic Development Center has joined forces with the Dallas County Community College District, the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce and the Peak Academy to present the third annual Multi-Cultural Festival.
Food booths offering food from around the world will be available, as well as artisans and merchants selling arts and crafts. Featured entertainers will include Sama Dallas, Grupo Folklorico Mexico Lindo, the Maca Theatre and Grace Hula Wahine Dancers.
The festival is part of the annual cultural event series presented by the Multi-Ethnic Education and Economic Development Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting economic development in East Dallas and surrounding areas.
For more information, visit www.meedcenter.com or contact Lauren Hobbs or Chandra Simms at 214-370-4760. • The Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, in collaboration with the Asia Society, will present "A Look into the Emperor Qianlong's Private Forbidden City," a lecture by Henry Ng of the World Monuments Fund. Reservations are required for the talk, which begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Horchow Auditorium at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood St. Tickets are $10 for DMA and Crow Collection members; $15 for nonmembers. Call 214-922-1826 for more information. The Crow Collection and the Dallas Museum of National History will also present "How Asians and Westerners Think Differently ... and Why" at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Crow Collection, 2010 Flora St. Tickets are $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Call 214-979-6438 for more information.