Multicultural experience

Despite the weather being temperamental, MacDowell said she expected to see about 80,000 people in attendance for the weekend. MacDowell said attendance hasn’t diminished since inception, although several festivalgoers noted crowds smaller than previous years. Putting an exact number on participants is hard because the festival has no ticketing system.

With a variety of musical acts and foods to eat in the food court, many eventgoers came back after years of attendance. East Lansing residents Lisa Kennedy-Mandujano and Sandi Hanson said they come every year to the festival. This year they attended the festival with their daughters, Maya Mandujano and Danielle Hanson, both 11. The family comes each year to partake in the heritage experience. Kennedy-Manguajano said one of her favorite parts was to see all the people outside interacting.

“My husband is from Mexico,” Kennedy-Manguajano said. “They have things like this every Friday and Saturday night in other countries. I really like to come out here; it’s just like it is in other countries.”

Musical acts represented a the wide range of culture on display at the festival. A special part of the festival was the narrative sessions, which mixed artists in the festivals together to talk about the similarities and differences in their cultures.

“They recognize mastery and the quality in playing that each one does, even if they are vastly different,” MacDowell said.

Despite reducing the number of stages because of financial cutbacks, the festival kept the popular Dance Tent, located in the parking lot behind Beggars Banquet, 218 Abbot Road. The Dance Tent is most known for the dance floor in front of the stage for people of all ages to participate in the cultural celebrations. Maya Mandujano said the tent was a fun place to meet with old friends and she danced Saturday night to Caribbean music with friends until the very last song.

“It was a lot of fun,” she said. “It’s my favorite part.”

Bringing people to East Lansing

For some, the free admission to the festival was the key factor in getting them to go. Okemos residents Mary and Sherry McGrath said they weren’t sure they would have even attended if it weren’t for the free admission.

“We shop a little, we go to the farmer’s market,” Sherry McGrath said. “I don’t know that we would’ve gone if it would’ve cost something.”

Mary McGrath said the festival also brought them to the East Lansing Farmer’s Market and various stores around town. She even overheard someone at the farmer’s market remarking about it after they had wandered down from one of the concerts.

“She was like, ‘Did you know this happens every Sunday?’” Mary McGrath said. “It brings people here.”

As the duo listened to a concert on the corner of M.A.C. and Albert avenues, they remarked that their favorite part of the festival was the music.

“It’s nice to hear the variety of music,” Sherry McGrath said.

“And people-watching is fun too,” Mary McGrath added.

Economic setbacks

The festival was not immune to the poor economy. Kennedy-Mangujano said she saw a definite decrease in the amount of people attending the festival and the size of the festival.

“I thought there were a lot less people,” Kennedy-Mandujano said. “However, there is the Jazz Festival in Lansing, so that might compete with that.”

The poor economy hasn’t only effected the attendance but the financing of the festival as well. MacDowell said the cost of running the festival is about $500,000. Between donations before the event and contributions during the event, the festival raises about $40,000.

Volunteers to the festival carried around buckets asking for donations. Raging from senior citizens to high schoolers, so-called “Bucketheads” were equipped with 5-gallon buckets and fluorescent stickers for anyone who donated cash.

“I volunteered last year and it was fun,” East Lansing resident Aso Hama said.

Hama, a high school student, believed despite the economy, people still would give back the festival. Fellow volunteer Lansing resident Sarah Grimm said she was sure people would donate. Grimm volunteered to keep the festival going in spite of recent economic downturn.

“I still think people will donate,” Hamas said.