A Passion for Culture
One of the reasons we travel is to learn about other countries and cultures. We all have traditions, new and old, and we love sharing our customs and learning others’. It is what makes us Global Citizens, and connects us with people around the world. Of course, it’s not always easy nor affordable to travel the globe indulging this passion.
Living in a Melting Pot
Luckily, the TravelLatte home base is in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, a burgeoning complex of more than 50 cities and towns covering 13 counties in North Texas. It’s the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States with more than 8-million people living in the area.
While some people find living in such a large population center unthinkable, we consider ourselves lucky to be located here. Among those 8-million souls are nationalities from around the world. Truly, DFW is a melting pot spiced with every flavor of humanity.
No better way to spend a pleasant October afternoon than at the Plano International Festival.
Celebrating Global Cultures
This mingled heritage is celebrated every October at the Plano International Festival. You can literally experience the world in a day, with crafts, activities, demonstrations and, thankfully, food! The main stage features performances ranging from martial arts to dancing and singing. Scattered through the festival are some vendors raising money for cultural organizations with home-made crafts. Altogether, more than 100 cultures are represented in booths throughout the grounds of Haggard Park in the historic downtown area of Plano. And this tour of the world is absolutely free.
We’ve written before about exploring the world through festivals in your own town. We find nothing more enlightening than meeting our neighbors and learning about the cultures and customs they bring to our country. Festivals like the Plano International Festival are a great opportunity to broaden horizons, learn about other countries and cultures, and have a great time doing it.
Watching the Ollin-Tonalzin Aztec Dancers, a family group dedicated to keeping Mexico’s Aztec culture alive.
At the festival, we practiced French and Spanish with native speakers. We browsed (and purchased!) handmade jewelry, clothing and crafts, and delicious treats from Peru, Turkey, Argentina, and Pakistan (among others). We learned a bit more about Scotland, got a lesson in French furnishings, and watched Chinese calligraphy in the making. And we got to see faces beaming with enthusiasm when speaking of their faraway homes and cultures.
If you haven’t been attending any and every cultural festival you can find, you’re missing out. Whether it’s a church bazaar or community event, we urge you to go! Meet the world that lives in your neighborhood. We guarantee you won’t regret it.
Children (and others) attending the Plano International Festival are encouraged to learn about other countries and cultures to get their Passport stamped.
About the Plano International Festival
The Plano International Festival takes place each October in Haggard Park. Its mission is to “educate, enlighten, and enrich the multicultural experience of all citizens” by celebrating Plano’s rich cultural diversity. It is an all-volunteer effort, showcasing Plano’s position as an international city.
Ed.Note: 2024 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Plano International Festival, which will take place on Saturday 19 October.
Festival Features
(Video courtesy of the Plano International Festival.)
Children’s Global Village
The Plano International Festival is a great learning experience for the whole family. The Children’s Global Village has hands-on activities for kids, offered free of charge. Children are also encouraged to complete their Festival Passport by visiting booths representing different countries.
Scotland was well represented by the Scottish Society of Dallas with an impressive display of tartans and memorabilia at the Plano International Festival.
Global Events Stage
The performance stage plays a central role throughout the day, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, a global fashion show, and a wide array of performances. Past highlights have included a mass U.S. Naturalization Ceremony, and a performance by the acclaimed Dallas Black Dance Academy.
Dance and performance groups have included a Spanish Flamenco team, the Dallas Highland Dancers, the Ollin-Tonalzin Aztec Dancers, and dance performances representing Argentina, China, Egypt, India, Palestine, Peru, Poland, and the Ukraine.
From Hula to Bellydance, Bollywood to the Scottish Highlands, dance figures prominently at the Plano International Festival. Here, the Golden Autumn Chinese Dance ensemble performs.
Eats
Yes, food is generally available, but this is one area of the festival that has been disappointing. We were hoping for an opportunity to sample foods from around the world. Dallas is home to restaurants of every flavor and from every corner of the globe, so our hopes were high. Instead, we found that most American of traditions, Food Trucks. Sadly, it wasn’t even a good showing of trucks. Given the impressive Food Truck industry in North Texas, the options at the festival were limited. However, a quick look through Yelp will give you dozens of ethnic options around Plano.
While You’re There
Since you’re in historic downtown Plano, you should avail yourself of other things to do and see while in the area. Haggard Park is home to the Interurban Railway Museum, which celebrates Dallas’ electric rail service of the early 1900s. (A service which rivals today’s mass transit!) The museum is open every day but Sunday, and admission is free.
The Plano Interurban Railway Museum is another attraction in Downtown Plano, open year round with free admission. (Photo: Plano Interurban Railway Museum)
Also at Haggard Park is the 1906 Saigling House, which has been recently renovated to an original-like state, and houses the Art Centre of Plano. Nearby, a block of historic buildings on 15th Street houses a variety of shops and restaurants.
Downtown Plano is at the center of the Plano Arts District as well. If you happen to visit on a Thursday between April and December, don’t miss the Art & Wine Walk. There are activities and events throughout the year, though.
Getting There
Road
The central area of downtown Plano is easily accessible. Haggard Park is located at East 15th Street and H Avenue, just a few blocks east of the North Central Expressway (US 75). It is roughly 20 miles north of downtown Dallas, 30 miles northeast of DFW Airport, or 50 miles northeast of downtown Fort Worth. There is limited parking nearby at the Police and Courts building, and the Plano Transit Village.
Rail
Conveniently, the park and historic downtown are adjacent to the Plano Transit Village. DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) trains serve the Downtown Plano station throughout the day, making it easily accessible from many areas around Dallas. From downtown Dallas, it’s about a 25-minute train ride. You can ride DART from DFW Airport as well, but the journey takes almost two hours (owing to the hub-and-spoke layout). However, the trip will take you past the American Airlines Center and Victory Park area, and into downtown Dallas, making it a great day-long excursion. (Ironically, it takes about the same time to take the train from downtown Fort Worth. Feel free to ask us for details in the comments, if interested in more information.)
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I love international festivals and try to attend them every chance I get. There are 2 big ones here in Memphis, The International Festival and IndiaFest.
This festival sounds like so much fun!! Love how multi-cultural and international this was. I feel like in these times, with nationalism (and frankly, xenophobia) on the rise, we need to celebrate multi-culturalism more than ever. You’ve inspired me to check out culture festivals in my own city! 🙂
I had no idea that Texas has such a melting pot of cultures. Wonderful to have a festival that acknowledges them all.
I would have really enjoyed this – such a cool festival and a great way to learn about other cultures and meet people from different parts of the world and all walks of life! Thanks for sharing
Hi Rob & Ann! This festival sounds fantastic. A pity about the food options, food is a big part of everyone’s culture, maybe next year? 😉 I’d definitely join the wine & art walk in Plano through the week and would love to see Song of Lahore. I’ll try to find it somewhere. Great info, thanks!
I also love international festivals (any festival, really), and try to visit them as much as possible. I’m especially fond of tasting the different foods and seeing unique handicrafts. Thanks for sharing this festival!
Hi Elizabeth – The foods are usually our favorite parts! It’s great to see so much pride in the people representing each culture. They are genuinely happy to share some of their history and tradition with you, and that’s always fun. Thanks for your comment!
Wow, this is quite an event! I love to live in Los Angeles for the same reason. There are many cultures in here and you can take advantage of their markets, food and friendship. I do not think we have an event as elaborated like the one you are showing in here. We have events focused on particular countries but it would be nice to have a lot of them in one place. #WeekendWanderlust
Los Angeles is really great for local festivals of almost every type! It is odd that there’s not one big festival to celebrate the city’s many cultures. That would be amazing! As always, thanks for your comment, Ruth!
I didn’t realize there are so many different cultures living in Dallas Fort Worth, Robert. I, too, live in a “melting pot spiced with every flavor of humanity” – Los Angeles. It’s great having all these cultures living together, isn’t it? I also gives you access to so many great cuisines from around the world. #TheWeeklyPostcard
You’re right, Anda. Los Angeles is one of my favorite cities to explore restaurants in because there is so much choice! I think Dallas is still catching up with LA in that sense, but it’s come a long way in the past few years. The same can be said of the cultural mix – economic growth has brought immigrants from around the world, which makes festivals like this so interesting! Thanks for your comment!
Very nice, I have not been yet! When I think of Dallas and October, I think of the State Fair. Maybe should give this a try one year. #TheWeeklyPostcard.
It is State Fair season! In fact, I was surprised to see so many people because, not only is it time for the Fair, but also the annual Red River Rivalry – the big college football game between Oklahoma University and the University of Texas. (Hook ’em, Horns!) In fact, we had planned to take the train to the festival – but it wasn’t running because all trains were diverted to handle the crowds at the fair and football game! It was a fun time anyway…and we had a better day than probably half the people at the football game. 😉 Thanks for your comment, Anisa!
Aww too bad my parents don’t live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area anymore! I would have gone to this! #TheWeeklyPostcard
You would have enjoyed it! Lots of fun talking with people from all around the world. Although, we did notice that your current country – Germany – was not represented this year. I’m guessing they were still recovering from Oktoberfest a couple weeks ago. 😉 As always, thanks for reading, Lolo!