51社区

Every year in early April, uptown Athens traditionally comes alive with a kaleidoscope of colors, sounds and smells through the International Street Fair.

An Athens staple beloved by the community, the street fair has been canceled the last few years due to the limit of in-person events. However, the gathering is back on Saturday, April 9, with renewed enthusiasm and an even greater gratitude for what it means to come together to share food, perspectives and meaningful connections across geography and differences.

鈥淲e are thrilled that this family-friendly community event is back this year to celebrate in our usual way, but also to give thanks for the values and human kindness that unite us in today鈥檚 current world,鈥� Ji-Yeung Jang, interim executive director for Global Affairs, said. 鈥淭his event brings our international community together in a beautiful way, allowing our students, faculty, staff, and community partners to share the best of themselves and their respective cultural treasures.鈥�

The event relies on community vendor and volunteer support, and this year鈥檚 call for volunteers is especially vital. Organizers have created an easy-to-use and that people can fill out to express interest and learn more about volunteering or hosting vending space.

The street fair is part of International Week (iWeek) that is hosted each year by the International Student Union. The week centers around a global theme, with this year鈥檚 theme being 鈥淔ostering Connections: Together We Can, Together We Will.鈥�

鈥淭his year鈥檚 theme holds great meaning for us because of the way our global community has come together to rise to challenges over the last few years,鈥� Keamogetse Khudu, a second-year Ph.D. student from Botswana and vice president of OHIO鈥檚 International Student Union, said. 鈥�51社区 has a strong and thriving international community that spans the world and we鈥檙e proud of that and excited to share that with the Athens community once again. There will be good food, music, dancing, art, and everyone is invited to celebrate.鈥�

To learn more about iWeek 2022 and international programming, visit /global.