From Namibia, there were trays of homemade malva pudding. Mexico brought plates heaped with guacamole, chips and salsa, sweet breads, and sugar cookies with cinnamon. Children licked creamy Indian ice cream on sticks, did the limbo with Brazilian samba dancers, and tried their skill at the Turkish version of backgammon.
Twenty-seven countries and regions were represented at this year’s HP CultureFest on April 18, a massive celebration of the rich and varied traditions of Highland Park ISD families that drew more than 1,100 participants to Highland Park Presbyterian Church.
The festivities included performers onstage, tables filled with treats, cultural treasures from around the world, art displays, and activities. It simply wasn’t possible to try, taste, and experience all that CultureFest had to offer.
“Until you see it, it’s hard to imagine that it’s going to be this big,” said Joakim Soederbaum, who shared his Swedish heritage at the festival. “We saw some pictures, but we didn’t really know what to expect. It’s a lot of fun.”
Park Cities students took to the stage to sing, recreate Bollywood and K-pop dances, and play western United States and Native American music.
“It’s always a great honor to perform and demonstrate my culture,” said Hockaday seventh-grader Iris Zhang, one member of a group of Kung Fu performers. “I have a lot of fun doing it.”
The Culture Club at Highland Park High School helped organize craft tables, including one based on the Korean thriller Squid Game that challenged participants to carve a shape out of brittle, caramel-colored candy. (If contenders broke the candy, students sprayed them with a water gun.)
At the Namibia table, Highland Park High School senior Athena Akwenye taught guests about her family’s tribe and the importance of cows to her culture. In addition to the traditional malva pudding Akwenye helped her mother bake, the table included translations of common expressions, such as “Are you kidding me?,” “Hello,” and “Great!”
“We wanted to show everyone our beautiful country,” Akwenye said. “There aren’t a lot of Namibians in Dallas.”
Nearby, the British table displayed the nation’s famous tea, chocolates, biscuits, and children’s comics. Along with the treats, there was information on the greatest Britons of all time, such as Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin, and the three crosses that, in combination, create the United Kingdom’s flag.
Volunteer Birte Fehse said that she hoped visitors had fun as well as connected with neighbors. Her favorite table had been Korea, which in her opinion had by far the best cuisine. “We win on the tea. They win on the food,” she remarked with a laugh.
Since the inaugural HP CultureFest in 2022, the group behind the event has grown from the organizer of a one-day celebration into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to strengthen community bonds throughout the year.
CultureFest participants volunteer together in schools and continue to connect through lunches, clubs, and parties. The group has also teamed up with the Moody Family YMCA and Park Cities libraries to bring the community LunarFest, an annual celebration that showcases Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese Lunar New Year traditions.
“The ultimate goal is to make our community stronger and more peaceful by getting to know each other and making these connections,” explained HP CultureFest chair Esther Choi. “We want our kids to be equipped to navigate this world. There’s so much richness right here.”
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