- March 28, 2024
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The fourth annual FusionFest is returning to downtown Orlando just in time for Thanksgiving.
FusionFest celebrates the wide variety of people and cultures that the Orlando area is home to by educating, sharing stories, collaborating and breaking down barriers of fears and division through two-days of free fun.
The non-profit organization operates with support from Orange County Government, the Orlando Downtown Development Board and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Cultures from all across the world will fill the Frontyard Festival in front of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, following Frontyard Festival guidelines, for the multicultural festival which draws people from more than 100 different cultures to experience music, dance, food, visual arts, spoken word, games and interactive activities, and more.
The event will feature over 1,000 local artists who will perform and showcase their work on the stages, gallery and interactive installations at FusionFest.
Guests this year will experience the all-new Opening Spectacle, a fully staged presentation under the direction of Joshian Morales, taking place on one of the stages while also taking place interactively around the audience that will gather to watch.
Additionally, a specially commissioned fanfare by composer Keith Lay will announce that FusionFest is open for a day of fun and fascinating cultural exchange with brass and musical “sounders” made from train horns from surrounding rooftops. Dancers representing Orlando's multitude of cultures will celebrate with music and song provided by drummers, trumpeters and flags from around the globe.
FusionFest Chief Instigator Terry Olson and Managing Director Thali Sugisawa said they are excited for the new Opening Spectacle which is going to represent what FusionFest is all about from the very first minute.
“What we’re planning will really show the excitement and innovation that can happen when a diverse community like Orlando comes together," Olson and Sugisawa said. “FusionFest has become a mainstay of Orlando’s Thanksgiving calendar. It’s a kaleidoscopic fusion of aromas, sights, sounds, tastes, textures and fascinating short films that represent the diverse origins and heritages of our community. It’s a colorful bazaar of live performances, music, food, displays, interactive exhibits and other experiences crafted to demonstrate the richness and depth of our area’s many ethnic traditions, which we can’t wait to present this year on another level.”
Other new surprises at the event will include the Family Village featuring a Cardboard Village of the World, the Fun and Games Tent, and the Family Art Tent.
FusionFest will also bring back classics such as the International Marketplace, screening the MYgration Films in partnership with Global Peace Film Festival, Diversitastic! Choir, Visual Arts Gallery, two stages featuring music, dance, spoken word and fashion, exciting prizes, community panels and Fusion contests.
Since its beginning in 2018, the festival has earned a multitude of honors and awards including the recently earned three top honors in the SUNSational Awards presented by the Florida Festivals and Events Association.
The event will occur on Thanksgiving weekend, Saturday, Nov. 27, and Sunday Nov. 28.
Admission to the event is free, although VIP Passports can be ordered in advance online or at the festival for a donation of $25 or more.
VIP Passports will include a neck wallet, four food tokens, a souvenir button, one prize ticket and one FLY with FusionFest Raffle Ticket for flights for two anywhere in the Caribbean.
For more information or to get involved, visit the FusionFest website.