INTERNATIONAL FIESTA AT MSU CELEBRATES OVER 100 COUNTRIES

STARKVILLE,Miss. (WCBI)-As spring comes in, more festivals are starting to happen.

Starkville World Neighbors Association and MSU’s Holmes Cultural Diversity Center host the International Fiesta.

Walking into the International Fiesta, you are greeted by the unity of countries and the flavorful smells that come with them.

Food is the main reason students, vendors, and community members come to this event each spring.

It’s an opportunity for the community to learn about other cultures.

“You know food, language, dress..all that just is fascinating and makes it a great place for us to have our residents participate in be apart of the community,” said Mayor of Starkville Lynn Spruill.

Diversity and inclusion play a major role.

Over 100 countries were represented along with information from their culture and items for display.

“Besides the food, we have some brochures, some pictures, some little items we bought from Turkey just to show people what is our culture. We have like a little booth here that we are trying to show our hospitality,” said alumni student Ozlem Sen.

The fiesta brings students and alumni back year after year.

“I come back for the International Fiesta because it’s exciting to be here. As an alumni, I still come back to get to meet people, and you know uh exhibit my culture,” said Sen.

Each year, the crowd grows larger with those interested in trying new food and learn more about the world.

This year marks the 29th year of the International Fiesta at MSU.