International festival unites the campus
Tue, 25 Nov 2014 05:30:00 GMT
One of the University’s most highly anticipated and welcomed campus events took place on campus in November.
The International Food and Culture Festival is hosted by the University’s international student societies and sponsored by the International Office. The event takes place bi-annually and showcases the cultural diversity of the University’s student body.
Where else would you see Vietnamese robotics, Egyptian beat-boxing, Zorba dancing, Russian rock and a Pakistani cover version of the Oasis hit ‘Wonderwall’?
Over 2,000 students and staff from both the UK and all over the world enjoyed a day of singing, dancing, games and food.
Around 35 international societies celebrated their food and culture by presenting guests with samples of their national dishes including French, Malaysian, Cameroonian, Italy, Vietnamese, Indian, Hong Kong, Czech/Slovak, Bulgarian and many more. This was followed by a range of performances from the students showing off national dancing, musical instruments, traditional games and singing.
Festival Co-ordinator and the University’s International Marketing and Events Officer, Alan Tobi, said, “The event has become a crucial part of the University’s events calendar. Every time we do this event, I am always overwhelmed at the passion, commitment and effort the students put into this festival. It shows what talent and enthusiasm our students have to put on such a show. I was really impressed with the great lengths they went to and they made it such a magical experience for everyone who came. It also provides a great opportunity for students to make new friends and learn a little more about different cultures. I would like to personally thank everyone involved who made this festival possible, including colleagues from the Events Management team in the Business School.”
Jamie Priestly, a British student who is studying Advertising and Marketing Communications at the University said, “the event for me was something to be embraced, where a fantastic cultural exchange between international and home students took place. This is something as a British student you don’t see often in the classroom, where international people are able to express their fabulous culture to other people. The event was a unique experience being able to meet and socialise with friendly, dynamic, and easy-going international students. Overall, the most important thing was that the event opened the door to meet groups of great people and friends.”
Watch the video which was filmed by University of Huddersfield graduate Lucy Forrester:
See the pictures on Facebook and find out more about Campus Events on Facebook
For more information on the international societies visit International Societies
You can like the University’s International Facebook page
