Valparaiso’s Central Park became a global microcosm Sunday afternoon for the 16th annual World Cultural Festival.
Onstage, there were 24 different acts from all over the world. Attendees could sample cuisine from around the world, and kids could participate in activities like seeing a name written in Chinese characters.
Fair trade vendors sold items produced outside the United States, with the sales benefiting producers who earn a fair living.
Traditional Odissi dancer Ananya Kar performs at the Valparaiso International Center-hosted World Cultural Festival on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
“There are many people who say this is their favorite event of the year because it’s so unique,” said organizer Duane Davison, a board member with the Valparaiso International Center.
“This is our biggest event of the year by far,” he said.
On the fourth Friday of the month, the Valparaiso International Center hosts someone who lives in the area but is from another country. So far, 60 different countries have been represented at these events. “If they’re here, we welcome them,” Davison said.
Davison started the VIC in 2007. The festival has grown from its “very small, humble beginnings,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, but we’re all volunteer.”
His own story is unusual. “I spent all of my 20s traveling all over the world,” he said, visiting 80 countries and all 50 states. He was young and unmarried then.
“I wanted to bring the world’s culture to small-town Valparaiso,” he said. “Our goal is to showcase culture, highlight the sights and sounds.”
Shehong Blatsioris, of Portage, and her Jasmine dance troupe brought Chinese sights and sounds.
Woodland Child Development Dancers perform a song from The Lion King during the Valparaiso International Center-hosted World Cultural Festival on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
“We’re all ladies from this area, and we get together every Monday to dance,” rehearsing three hours every week, she said.
“We feel phenomenal, wonderful,” to see the audience’s reaction to their dance, Blatsioris said.
The dance troupe has traveled across Northwest Indiana and Illinois to perform over the last 12 years.
“I’ve loved dance since I was a little girl,” she said. “I always have a passion for this.”
The dances help keep the members’ Chinese heritage alive.
Singer Antonio Perez dons a traje de charro, or mariachi suit, as he sings at the Valparaiso International Center-hosted World Cultural Festival on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Antonio Perez, of Valparaiso, brought songs from Guadalajara, Mexico, for “a chance to represent my culture so other parts of the world could learn about the rich history of Mexico.”
“It’s a wonderful city, a lot of mariachi there,” Perez said. Fourteen years ago, Perez helped set a record there when 650 mariachi performers joined together. Bands from as far as Japan and Cuba were there.
Kristin Sturgeon, of Portage, and her Alphorngruppe brought their alphorns to the festival.
She’s been a member of the band since 2016, when members of a larger German band decided to form a smaller alphorn group as well.
Alphorn players Alphorngruppe perform for visitors to the Valparaiso International Center-hosted World Cultural Festival on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
They began ordering the giant horns, which fortunately come in pieces for assembly onsite, and now play all over the Midwest.
“You don’t need a microphone for these. These echo for miles,” she said.
Alphorns originally were made from trees that grow in the Alps, hence the name. The trees were cut down, sawed in half, hollowed out and tied back together for the musicians to use.
“They’re fun. It’s a challenge. It’s not like any other instrument you play,” Sturgeon said.
All 16 notes are formed with the mouth, not by holes or levers.
Unida Translation owner and CEO Ivana Sedia, on right, speaks with visitors during the Valparaiso International Center-hosted World Cultural Festival on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Ivana Sedig, owner and CEO of Unida Translation, ran a booth at the festival. Her company translates more than 125 languages, either converting documents to another language or teaching travelers how to communicate with people in countries they plan to visit.
“It’s a good way to teach people in Northwest Indiana more about the world,” she said of the festival.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/25/world-culture-comes-to-valparaiso-for-annual-festival/