Thousands of visitors flocked to Oronoco Bay Park on Saturday for the Around the World Cultural Food Festival, a multicultural celebration now in its fourth year at the Alexandria waterfront location.
The festival, running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., featured more than 45 countries represented through 24 food vendors, 19 performances and various arts and crafts displays. Organizers expect around 30,000 people to attend throughout the day.
“We usually get around 30,000 people for the day,” said Corina Serbanescu, a member of Chic Event DC. “So it’s actually our pride and joy, this festival.”
The event is organized by CHIC Events DC, a festival division of Royal Events Group, which started the festival nine years ago. The festival initially took place on the National Mall before moving to Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., then relocating to Alexandria after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We started this festival nine years ago. We started on the National Mall and soon after that we transitioned in Washington D.C. We’re on Pennsylvania Avenue and then Covid came,” Serbanescu explained. “So after that we actually were lucky to find this amazing place. So since then, this is our home.”
The festival has grown each year at its Alexandria location, with organizers adding new elements annually. The planning process begins months in advance, with registration typically closing in February for the August event.
“It is getting bigger every year, there’s something new that we are adding every year, we have like new restaurants that are coming,” Serbanescu said. “I would say new food vendors, because they’re restaurants, food trucks, you know, so new food vendors, we are curating every single item on their menu.”
The extensive curation process requires significant time and effort from organizers. “So the process is really long and tedious, honestly,” Serbanescu noted. “Registration closes usually in February for the event. And since February up to the day of the event, we’re working on actually the menus.”
The festival’s concept stems from the multicultural backgrounds of its organizers, who wanted to create an educational experience about different cultures and traditions. Serbanescu, who is Romanian, explained the inspiration behind the event.
“We are a group of very multicultural international people. So, for example, I’m Romanian and how many people know a lot about Romania other than Dracula, you know, and then we were talking about it and we realized we have people from Peru, we have people from Libya,” she said. “We said, well, what’s the best way to kind of educate people and make them more aware of the cultures and traditions of other countries than through food and music and, you know, arts and crafts?”
The organizers position the festival as more than just a food event, emphasizing the cultural experience it provides to attendees. “We are trying to bring an experience,” Serbanescu said. “We are considering that this festival is not just another food event and this is how we are presenting it, as an experience of traveling the world and visiting multiple countries and traditions which are authentic to those countries from around the world.”
Food vendors participating in the festival come from across the region, including Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., and as far as North Carolina. The diverse representation allows visitors to sample authentic cuisine from dozens of countries without leaving Alexandria.
The festival has found strong support in Alexandria, with organizers expressing gratitude for the community’s welcome. “We are so happy that Alexandria, with everyone, you know, you guys visit Alexandria, everyone has supported the festival and has, you know, has welcomed us,” Corina said.
Looking ahead to next year’s 10th anniversary celebration, organizers hint at significant expansions and surprises, though specific details remain under wraps. “We have a lot of surprises,” Serbanescu said, mentioning the possibility of extending the event to a full weekend format.
“It will be here again. Yes, yes, it will be here again,” she confirmed regarding the festival’s future at Orinoco Bay Park. “But it will be something that we have been working on thinking about and it’s going to be really, really nice. We’re going back to the origins of the event.”
For those who miss the festival or want to learn more about participating vendors, organizers recommend checking their social media pages, which provide videos and information about the restaurants and food trucks that participate.
The festival’s website, www.aroundtheworldfestival.com, also serves as a resource for information about the annual event.
