Contact:
Dan Peña, Vice President
Arab World Fest
414-807-9375
arabworldfest@gmail.com
Arab World Fest 2014: An Exotic Trip to the Middle East without Leaving the City
Milwaukee, WI. Arab World Fest is getting ready to celebrate the food, music and culture of the 22 Arab countries on August 8, 9 & 10.. There will be something for all ages to enjoy, from children’s arts and crafts to camel rides to delicious Middle Eastern cuisine.
Our Main Stage acts this year will be Azzam Al-Ajjawi (with Khalid Ertahi) from Palestine on Friday night at 10pm, Hisham Barakat from Lebanon and Syria on Saturday at 10pm and Nidal Ibourk from Morocco Sunday at 8pm. The rest of the weekend is filled with a variety of acts including belly dancers, traditional folk music and dancing and a special appearance Sunday at 1pm from local Milwaukee favorites 5 Card Studs.
The Cultural Area will feature dancing, poetry, food demonstrations, folk music, traditional clothing and calligraphy, along with dance demonstrations by the Saudi Student’s Union of UW – Milwaukee.
Children will find plenty to do in our Children’s Area including arts and crafts, inflatable bounce houses, face painting, clowns and Betty Brinn Museum robART. A walk through our Fairy Tales display will show scenes from many of the 1001 Arabian Nights stories.
A variety of foods will be offered from local restaurants. You can sample Middle Eastern favorites such as hummus, falafel, shawarma and kabobs or indulge in festival favorites like roasted corn, hot dogs and ice cream.
Shop in the Souk (marketplace) for exotic treasures such as incense, perfumes and hookahs. You will also find handicrafts, art, jewelry and clothing for sale.
You can also take a ride on a camel, rent a hookah and flavored tobacco and learn to belly dance or do the Debke (a popular folk dance) in our workshop area.
There will be a Meronite-Catholic Mass held on Sunday officiated by Fr Tony Masaad of Michigan. Mass will be from Noon until 1pm. Mass attendees may enter the festival for free with a suggested donation of 3 non-perishable food items to benefit the Hunger Task Force.
Festival hours are Friday 5pm – Midnight, Saturday Noon to Midnight and Sunday Noon to 10pm.
Free times are Friday from 5pm – 7pm for everyone with a donation of 3 gently used books to benefit Literacy Services of Wisconsin. Saturday Noon to 1pm free to seniors 60 and over and persons with disabilities. Sunday Noon to 2pm free to those who bring 3 non-perishable food items for the Hunger Task Force. Sunday 2pm – 4pm, free to Military, Veterans and First Responders (with proper I.D.). For the entire weekend, people can get $2 off the gate ticket price of one admission when you show a ticket stub from the Milwaukee Public Museum dated from July or August of this year to celebrate the museum’s display, Beyond the Veil.
For a complete event schedule, visit our website at www.arabworldfest.com. You can also join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @arabworldfest.
