Student-led cultural celebration showcases the school’s international community through food, music and more.

The World’s Fair Cultural Festival in Spartan Gym buzzed with energy, enthusiasm and meaningful connections. Flags from countries around the world stretched above from one side of the gym to the other, the smell of international food filled the air and joyful music from student performers added to the high-energy vibe.

As the event kicked off, a crowd gathered around the stage to rock out to the opening band, The Makeshifts, and stuck around to enjoy several cultural dances and songs performed by a number of talented Spartans.

"It was an excellent debut performance and we hope to play in more school events in the future," said Jun Yoon '28, drummer for The Makeshifts. "It was our privilege to share our musical talents with the school community."

The Spartan community, including students, faculty, staff and parent volunteers sampled cuisine from a number of countries including Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Thailand. They also enjoyed interactive educational activities from more than 30 booths. Many parent volunteers prepared traditional homemade dishes and they picked up take-out cuisine from local restaurants, brought it to campus, and helped with setup and cleanup. 

“The festival is an amazing, interactive experience where the diversity within St. Stephen's is not only celebrated, but shared among the students,” said Maddie Jones ’27, who helped organize the event and added graphic design insight.

The lively, student-led annual festival, held every other year since 2012, highlights the cultural and international diversity of the St. Stephen’s community. Students on the Cultural Festival planning committee chose this year’s theme, World’s Fair, a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations that dates back to the 1800s. 

Jones designed the festival’s promotional artwork, with guidance from faculty sponsor and International Program Assistant Liza Ayres ’14, which featured a colorful Ferris wheel that complemented the theme. Eli Sahely ’27, Harini Senthil Kumar ’27 and Josh Mugo ’27 helped create posters to advertise the festival across campus.

“The Cultural Festival was a big success this year!” said Ayres. “It was great to see students so enthusiastically sharing their culture through food, performances, trivia, games and activities. It's very special to have a community committed to honoring and celebrating the diversity represented on campus.”