Press Release: Celebrate LI's Cultural Diversity at 5th Annual Friends Around the World Festival

Families are invited to take a flavorful journey around the world at the Long Island Children’s Museum’s 5th Annual Friends Around the World Festival. Set to a multi-cultural beat, this event provides families with a fun introduction to the diverse cultures of their Long Island neighbors. Scheduled for Sunday, November 11 (noon-5 p.m.), the Festival features live music and dance, international foods, games and craft activities.

Children and adults will learn about their neighbor’s cultural heritage as they master the Mozambican game of umake, Australian bounce eye and learn to toss a Scottish caber, practice Hawaiian and Greek dances, enjoy international musical performances, and design Russian nesting dolls, Chinese dragon puppets, and Peruvian painted gourds. Throughout the day, visitors can sample international cuisine.

“Fun and games, music and dance, and crafts and food are themes common to all cultures,” explains Long Island Children’s Museum’s Executive Director Suzanne LeBlanc. “The Friends Around the World Festival underscores our cultural similarities, while providing opportunities to explore our differences in a lively and welcoming environment.”

The Children’s Museum and an adjoining performance and activity tent will be utilized to accommodate the range of activities and performers scheduled for the 5th annual Friends Around the World Festival. The Festival’s International Stage will feature a rotating schedule of multi-cultural performances throughout the day.

The Festival continues to grow in popularity and has fast become a favorite annual event on family calendars and a popular community fundraiser. The Festival attracts over 1,500 people, including sponsored guests, supported through the Festival’s outreach program, which provides complimentary Festival tickets to organizations that assist children and families in need, including Glen Cove Boys and Girls Club, Little Flower, Big Brothers and Sisters of Long Island and more. Proceeds from the Friends Around the World Festival support the museum’s quality programs and community access programs throughout the year.

A pay-one-price ticket covers admission, all activities and performances and an international food sampling. Tickets purchased before November 11 are priced at: $12 ($10 for museum members). Tickets purchased at the door are $15 ($12 for museum members). Children under two are admitted free. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the museum box office, by calling 516-222-1770 or by downloading an order form at www.licm.org. The Long Island Children’s Museum is located at 11 Davis Avenue, Garden City, NY (near the Nassau Coliseum.)

About the Long Island Children’s Museum
Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) is a learning laboratory where hands-on exhibits invite visitors to experiment, examine and play. Through lively interdisciplinary activities, children and adults can share in the excitement of the learning process as they explore the world in which we live. The museum is designed for infants through 12 and their grownups.

Last year, LICM hosted more than 260,000 children and adults from throughout the New York Metropolitan region who came to LICM to explore, discover, learn and play together. LICM is a not-for-profit institution chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. For more information about LICM, visit http://www.licm.org or call 516-224-5800.

Photo captions and links:

Families try their hand at a variety of cultural craft activities at Long Island Children’s Museum’s Friends Around the World Festival.
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Children need steady hands to master the Czech game of Kulièky
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Indian Bharanatanyaman dancers delighted audiences when they performed on The Friends Around the World Festival international performance stage.
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Children and adults find their beat when they take part in a cross-cultural dance circle led by Ayanda Clarke.
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Photo credit: Long Island Children’s Museum (K Stanley Photos).

Media Contact: Maureen P. Mangan
Direct Line: 1-516-224-5828