Rhythms of dance, music and celebration filled Peabody Lawn Saturday morning as the University Programs Council kicked off the 39th annual CultureFest, a long-standing tradition that brings the University’s diverse organizations together for a day filled with traditional cultural performances and community.
This year’s CultureFest was centered on the theme “Under the Same Sun” — meant to capture the idea that while the world is very diverse, everyone is connected as human beings who learn about and celebrate each others’ heritage and traditions. From 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 22 Contracted Independent Organizations rotated through back-to-back performances, showcasing cultural dances, outfits and traditions. The lineup ranged from the Afghan Student Association’s Attan, a traditional dance symbolizing unity and national pride, to the Virginia Wushu Club’s display of taolu, the performance-based component of Chinese martial arts.
For the first time, this year’s CultureFest included interactive challenges for attendees, like filling out a bingo card with tasks like taking a selfie with the Vietnamese Student Association’s lion and snapping a picture with the Taiwanese Student Association’s umbrellas. One of the prizes for the first 100 attendees to check into the event was a free welded bracelet, courtesy of Golden Bond Jewelry in Great Falls, Va. Additionally, all attendees who checked in were eligible to join raffles for prizes like an Apple ecosystem, Pioneer speakers and a matcha-making set.
According to Macie Tran, UPC cultural connections director and third-year College student, offering challenges and prizes for attendees was a way of opening the event up to even more people than in past years.
“People have told me they felt very out of place wanting to join and get to know another culture … and I wanted this event [to be] a place where people of all [backgrounds] can come together,” Tran said. “So I made these challenges so that people can try to walk up to someone … from an organization that they’re interested in joining.”
Many groups’ performances aimed to share the lesser-known parts of the cultures they represented. According to Williams Flamenco, Fuego dance choreographer and second-year Engineering student, Fuego’s set blended together popular and lesser-known styles of Latin dance.
“Today’s performance had bachata, merengue … [and] reggaeton, and we picked these specifically because [these] are pretty commonplace Latin dances,” Flamenco said. “We [also included] huapango and punta because they’re a lot lesser known … [and] not as commonplace in social dancing.”
The program also made room for first-time spotlights and cultural rituals. The Mongolian Student Union made their CultureFest debut with their Joroon Joroo dance, translating to “galloping horses,” performed in traditional deel outfits — long robes traditionally worn by Mongolia’s nomadic people. Meanwhile, the Taekwondo Club delivered an energetic demonstration of Korean martial arts, featuring powerful flips and acrobatic movements.
The event gave attendees the opportunity to take a deeper look at a culture they may have had a limited perspective on. For Mika Nair, Sitaare co-captain and fourth-year College student, CultureFest offered a platform to share her Indian heritage and showcase Indian classical dance in ways she had not been able to before coming to the University.
“Growing up, … I never felt comfortable sharing my dance style until I came here,” Nair said. “Culture is so celebrated here, and performing with such a diverse audience, it was so cool.”
The audience reflected the same kind of diversity seen on stage. CultureFest traditionally coincides with Family Weekend, timing that, according to Tran, helps draw a wider mix of visitors through the day to experience the celebration.
“Families can come and see all the hard work that their kids have put into their performances,” Tran said. “A lot of people who are [just passing] by can [also] see how diverse U.Va. is.”
Beyond the stage, Peabody Lawn was alive with energy. The scent of sizzling food from the Otto Turkish, Little Manila and El Tako Nako food trucks and the sound of laughter and applause carried across the lawn. Between performances, attendees stopped for polaroids that CultureFest representatives took throughout the event, chatted with friends and played bingo for more raffle entries — small symbols of the community that CultureFest aimed to foster.
For Tran, moments like these captured what the “Under the Same Sun” theme set out to achieve — a celebration of not just individual cultures, but of the shared experience of coming together.
“A lot of CIOs put in their hard work to plan everything, and I love seeing it all come together,” Tran said. “A lot of people look forward to CultureFest too, because they can share their identity with the greater Charlottesville community, and there’s not many opportunities to do that.”
For Flamenco, performing at CultureFest was more than a chance to showcase his own Latin culture — it was an opportunity to learn from others and experience the richness of traditions beyond his own.
“My favorite part of CultureFest [was] seeing everybody else’s culture and what they’ve all worked for,” Flamenco said. “I know I’ve worked really hard for Fuego’s performance, so it's nice to see everyone else’s performances.”
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