Media Contact:
Natalie Pratt
Expo Coordinator
Phone: 920-312-0014
44 North Advertising & Design
Phone: 920-426-1970
AUGUST 10th
9:00am – 4:00pm at the
Tri-County Arena in Neenah
International Folk Festival & Fair Trade Show
The International Folk Festival & Fair Trade Show is a celebration of diversity & culture with an immersion into the wonders of the globe’s finest exotic foods, entertainment, hobbies, animals & fair trade products. This is your trip around the world without leaving your own backyard!
This one-day event is filled with the sights, sounds and tastes of foreign lands. It offers a wonderful and educational outing for families with children and uses a unique blend of workshops, activities and entertainment to encourage people to see the world differently. The Festival showcases the best that the world has to offer including its multicultural traditions, inspirational people, foods, films, fashion, music, and arts.
Shop our Fair Trade Marketplace and enjoy a celebration of ethical, sustainable, morally responsible behavior; designed to nourish mind and body. Fair Trade is a commerce that focuses on producer empowerment, equality, and economic development and supports the world and the economy.
In a unique celebration of harmony in diversity the International Folk Festival brings together dozens of countries with unique sights, sounds, tastes and a mesmerizing variety of the world continents in one place!
Pavilions from around the World, beautifully situated in the Neenah Tri-County Arena will take you on a journey through the World by interactively showcasing the beauty of all world cultures through their local dance, music, food, products, literature, conferences and inter-cultural dialogue.
As you watch the Global Beats Stage, you are immediately transported to another place as you’ll experience the music, dancing and culture from worldwide destinations! Watch the world come alive with culturally diverse dance and music performances representing destinations from around the world.
Check out some of the many dances & music that will be featured throughout the day:
African Drum Dances
Bagpipes
Fiji, Tahitian, Hawaiian & Polynesian
Belly Dancers
Cha Cha, Salsa, Mambo, Cuban, & Latin American
Caribbean, Central & South America
Drum Circle
Eye Opening Ceremony for Qilin (Chinese Unicorn)
Song Jiang Battle Array
Drum Performance and Lion Dance
Okinawan Taiko Drummers (Ryukyu Islands Folk Dance)
and more!
Very first Wisconsin appearance: Qilin Dance (Chinese Unicorn)
Hand made in Hong Kong specifically for this event.
“A Qilin (麒麟), sometimes referred as a “Chinese Unicorn”, is considered the third luckiest beast in the Chinese mythological pantheon (after the Dragon and Phoenix), it is said to appear with the imminent arrival of a wise sage or an illustrious ruler. It is a good omen that brings Rui (瑞) roughly translated as “serenity” or “prosperity” to all who view it and the ground that it dances on. Even though it has a fierce appearance it is a benevolent and serene creature which is known to tread so lightly in nature that it does not leave footprints. The Qilin is known throughout Asian communities and is called “Kirin” in Japan. This will be the very first appearance of a Qilin Dance in Wisconsin, performed by Madison’s Zhong Yi Kung Fu Association and sponsored by Healthy Living LLC, the Eye Opening (開光 – Kai Guang) Ceremony will be held at the International Folk Festival in Neenah, WI on Aug. 10th around 11:00 am.
