Attendees to the first Renton Multicultural Festival this fall are invited to share their stories to be videotaped and curated by the Renton History Museum.
Inspired by national storytelling events like The Moth, the goal is to honor and celebrate diversity and the commonality of human experience through the art of storytelling.
Everyone has a story to tell and no advance registration is necessary. The festival will include a storytelling stage where anyone from the public can sign-up to tell a story between noon and 2 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Piazza. Interested participants can enter their names at the event and will be selected randomly to tell their stories.
The stories should be based on one of the following themes and limited to four minutes:
• What’s in a name?
• The world at our doorstep
• A Tale of Two Cultures
• Ahead of the Curve
“Stories bring people together, evoke feelings, and connect people with each other in a meaningful and memorable way,” Mayor Denis Law said in a press release. “One of the main goals of the festival is for the community to participate and storytelling is a great way to learn from each other and celebrate cultures.”
Renton Multicultural Festival’s opening night is Sept. 30 and features “Performances through Art” at the Carco Theatre from 6-9 p.m. Performances include African dancers, Bollywood dancers, Ukrainian performers, a fashion show by Miss India Washington contestants, and a closing performance by a leading jazz artist.
Saturday, Oct. 1, will highlight “Power of Play,” as downtown Renton comes alive to celebrate music, dance, art, food and stories from all over the world. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in games and activities and other multicultural experiences. Saturday’s events will start at 11 a.m. and run through 3 p.m. at both the Renton Pavilion Event Center and Piazza Park in downtown Renton.
Two stages of non-stop performances include African and Taiko drummers, Brazilian ensemble, Mexican performers, Mariachi bands, Filipino dancers, Lion dancers, Sikh Martial Arts dancers, Polynesian dancers, Bollywood music, and a Marimba ensemble. This family friendly festival is FREE to the public.
“We’ve seen for the longest time that Renton has this amazing diversity as part of our community,” said Preeti Shridhar in an earlier interview. “And for us, what has been important is to ask how can we not only celebrate this diversity and recognize it, but how can we celebrate an opportunity of all members of the community to get to know each other, to learn more about each other, to get a sense of the heritages of your neighbors, the people you work with, and give a special place and honor that diversity.”
A 2016 WalletHub study ranked Renton as the 16th most diverse city in the nation.
“What’s Your Story” is co-sponsored by Tasveer. For more information about Tasveer visit Tasveer.org. For more information about the festival visit rentonwa.gov/rentonfestival.
