Novato's Colorful Multicultural Festival Lined Up for Saturday

Celebrating diversity and tolerance is the ongoing theme of Novato's annual Multicultural Festival, “Novato Celebrates!” The sixth annual affair is happening rain or shine from noon-5 p.m. Saturday at , 2200 Novato Blvd.

This is a free jubilee of acceptance where visitors are invited to enjoy performances (schedule below), interactive booths such as drop-in origami-making and to feast on great food, including Spanish paella, available for purchase.

A cultural puppeteer will roam the festival throughout the day and there will be free raffle prize drawings between some of the performances. There will also be a  Native American tool-making demonstration. 

Here is a schedule of festival highlights:

1:30  Taiko Drumming

2:00  Latin Singing

2:30   Karate and Tai Chi Demonstation

3:00   Chinese Lion Dancing

3:30   Middle Eastern Belly Dancing

Miwok Park is also home to the , which will be open on Saturday. The park has a lovely creek, a couple of playgrounds and 38 acres of park and woods. In addition to the small parking lot, off-street parking is available along the residential area of nearby San Miguel Way, or better yet, ride your bike or walk, if possible.

Roaming through the multicultural festival in shady Miwok Park is one enjoyable way to spend a cloudy day, so come prepared with a jacket if it's a bit chilly, and maybe a blanket and some folding chairs to be prepared to spend the afternoon. If you decide to bring Fido, remember that dogs must be on leash at all times.

The city of Novato donates the use of the park for the day but money to host the festival is raised through sponsors (thank you Wells Fargo, Bank of Marin, Burr  Pilger Mayer and Marin County Supervisor Judy Arnold). The event is staged by volunteers who set up beforehand and clean up afterward. Special thanks goes to the volunteers who make up the Multicultural Commission of the city of Novato.

Kim Tsuchimoto, vice-chair of the Multicultural Commission says, describes the event as a nice outdoor gathering.

"It’s family friendly and was started as a way to proactively introduce high school students and other children to minority role models and diverse cultures, to create more interest and excitement in diversity, and to bring the community together,” she says.

Lots of good people are doing the work, so to make it inclusive, all we need is you!