International Festival

×

Expand

Madison Central Business Improvement District

Lion dancers.

Lion dancers from Zhong Yi Kung Fu Association during a past Lunar New Year celebration.

The International Fest expands to two days and takes over the Overture Center with music and dance highlighting cultures from around the world, by regional performers from A (Charlene Adzima and Andreas Transø playing Irish music for kids on Saturday) to Z (Zhong Yi Kung Fu Association performing Sar Ping style lion dance on Sunday). The weekend also includes hands-on art workshops by Little Eagle Arts Foundation and food (both Saturday only), as well as an international marketplace both days. Admission and activities are free, marketplace items and food are not. Find more info below, and a schedule at overture.org.

media release: International Festival is back at Overture Center—and bigger and better than ever! The annual festival has expanded to a two-day event on Saturday, April 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 2 from 1-4 p.m. Together, we will celebrate the rich cultural heritage and diversity of our community with free performances throughout Overture by artists who call Dane County home, tasty cuisines, stunning arts and crafts from around the world, and information from many local organizations and businesses with global connections. More than 40 cultures will be represented with 30-plus artists and 30-plus craft/arts and food vendors.

Guests may participate in person at Overture or online for select livestreamed performances via Overture’s Facebook page. In addition, more than 100 area schools are expected to join the festival from their classrooms the week of April 3 to learn about global cultures through online videos and study guides.

SATURDAY PERFORMANCES – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Andreas Transo and Charlene Adzima – children’s music in Ireland with free spoon haircuts
• Atimevu – traditional music from Ghana
• Boliviamanta Dance WI – traditional Bolivian folkloric dances
• Breckenridge School of Highland Dance – dances highlighting the colorful tartans of Scotland
• Cris Plata Trio – Mexican/American South Texas border music
• DanzTrad – Mexican culture through dance
• Guitar House of Madison – Spanish guitar music
• Hmong Institute’s Heritage Club – songs, dances and storytelling of Hmong and Nepalese
• Last Gaspe – Canadian, Irish and American fiddle music
• Leslie Damaso – Filipino jazz opera
• Limanya Drum & Dance Ensemble – Drum and dance from Guinea, West Africa
• LuLu Quintet – Sparkling French/Romany “hot club” jazz inspired by Django Reinhardt
• Mad Craic Irish Dance – Adult Irish dancers performing in modern and old styles
• Madison Maennerchor – Wisconsin’s oldest German men’s chorus
• Madison Pipes and Drums – music from Scotland and Ireland
• Mesoghios Greek Dance Troup – Greek Gypsy dances
• Nanditha Mazumdar – traditional Indian classical dance from Bharatanatyam
• Raizes do Brasil – Afro-Brazilian martial-art dance and maculele, a sister art form to Capoeira
• Sadira Middle Eastern Dance – joyful, vibrant women’s dances of the Middle East
• Sergio El Vacilon – Cuban love songs and folk music
• Tania Tandias Flamenco & Spanish Dance – fiery dances from Spain
• The Handphibians –drumming modeled after the samba schools of Brazil
• Tri Bratovchedki – a cappella songs in rhythms, harmonies and languages of Eastern Europe
• UW Russian Folk Orchestra – Eastern Europe folk music
• Yid Vicious – Klezmer dance music
• Zaibas Lithuanian Dancers – Lithuanian heritage through dance

SUNDAY PERFORMANCES – 1-4 p.m.

• Beni Daiko – Taiko drumming
• Madison Chinese Culture Association
• Meenakshi Ganesan and the Kalaanjali Dance Company – Bharatanatyam classical Indian dance
• Okami Taiko – Japanese Okinawan style taiko drumming
• Zhong Yi Kung Fu Association – traditional Sar Ping style of Lion Dance with live music

INTERNATIONAL MARKET – SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

• Amawa
• Council on International Educational Exchange
• Fair Anita
• Friendship Force – Wisconsin – Madison
• Madison-Mantova Sister City
• Hope Institute of Uganda
• Hurling and Football Club of Madison
• Inti Fair Trade
• Knitting for Peace
• Madison Arcatao Sister City Project
• Madison Area Chinese Community Organization
• Madison Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc.
• Madison-Camaguey Sister City Association
• Madison-Freiburg Sister City Committee
• Madison-Obihiro Sister Cities, Inc.
• Madison-Rafah Sister City Project
• Naska’s Handmade
• Nepali American Friendship Association
• Otavalo
• Palestine Partners/Play for Palestine
• Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Wisconsin-Madison
• UW-Madison International Reach
• Wisconsin International Resource Consortium
• Yachack

INTERNATIONAL CAFÉ – SATURDAY ONLY

• Café Costa Rica LLC
• Jakarta Café
• Madame Chu Delicacies
• Spice Yatra
• M&J Jamaican Kitch’n
• Toast
• Italian Workmen’s Club – Madison
• La Joe Bla LLC
• Rolling Pin Bake Shop

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Rotunda Lobby: SATURDAY AND SUNDAY | 10 AM – 4:30 PM| Mark your cultural heritage and current home on the magnetic maps.
• Promenade Lounge, Level II: SATURDAY | 10 AM – 5 PM | Explore new cultures with student ambassadors from UW-Madison International Reach.
• Promenade Hall: SATURDAY | 10 AM – 5 PM | Little Eagle Arts Foundation (LEAF) presents hands-on art activities (beaded friendship bracelets and deer sculptures with black ash fiber) and will exhibit examples of regalia from the LEAF art collection (several of Native artists are also featured in Rotunda Gallery).

International Festival 2023 is funded by Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison, CUNA Mutual Group, Madison Community Foundation and Dane Arts.

OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS in Madison, Wis., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization that features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and four galleries where national and international touring artists, nine resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in nearly 700,000 educational and artistic experiences each year. With the vision to provide “Extraordinary Experiences for All,” Overture’s mission is to support and elevate our community’s creative culture, economy and quality of life through the arts. overture.org