Get a global taste at local festivals

In Charlotte, you can find festivals celebrating a wide variety of global traditions. Our growing diversity is reflected in the types of fairs and events that dot the city’s cultural calendar. Whether you’re looking for ethnic food, arts and crafts, or music from around the world, you’ll find it in the Queen City.

Yiasou Greek Festival

Since 1978, Charlotte’s Greek community has been sharing its culture at a historic cathedral in the Dilworth neighborhood.

Enjoy exhibits on Greece’s history; folk dancing and musical performances; a “Children’s Play Land”; a market where you can buy gifts and crafts; and an array of food that you can purchase from vendors or in a sit-down dining area.

Details: Sept. 13-16. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 600 East Blvd. $2 (free for 12 and younger). www.yiasoufestival.org.

Festival of India

The India Association of Charlotte showcases the heritage of the Asian-Indian community, giving Charlotte-area residents the opportunity to experience the diversity of cultures, foods and entertainment of India. Admission is $5 (free for children under 10).

Details: Noon-7 p.m. Sept. 22-23. Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St. $5 (free for kids younger than 10). http://indiafestival.iacofcarolinas.org.

Middle East Festival

Sponsored by the Middle East Council of the Carolinas, this event features multiple food and dessert vendors with crafts, live Middle Eastern and international music, and folk dances. The festival is non-political and non-religious.

Details: Late April. Queens University of Charlotte. Free. middleeastcouncilnc.org/home/MECC-home.php.

International Festival

Now in its 37th year, this was one of the first events to recognize the area’s growing international community. It’s centered on booths – staffed by UNC Charlotte international students and members of Charlotte’s international community and arranged in a colorful marketplace style – that represent the cultures of about 50 nations.

Details: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 29. Barnhardt Student Activity Center at UNC Charlotte. Free. ifest.uncc.edu.

Asian Festival and Dragon Boat Festival

The event celebrates Asian diversity, ethnicity, roots and history, with music, dancing, food, martial arts demonstrations, fashion show and dragon boat races with teams competing in colorfully decorated boats.

Details: Early May. Ramsey Creek Park on Lake Norman in Cornelius. Free. www.charlottedragonboat.com.

Cinco de Mayo Fanta Festival

This popular festival features internationally known Mexican musical acts, celebrity appearances, children’s games and activities, and folkloric dance performances. An open-air food court offers Latin American cuisine, and the mercado sells handmade, imported goods and specialty products.

Details: Early May. McAlpine Park, 8711 Monroe Road. Free. www.latinamericancoalition.org/fanta-festival/About.

Other favorite local festivals:

Carolina Renaissance Festival

The Renaissance Festival is a 16th-century European-style art and entertainment festival combining outdoor theater, circus entertainment, arts and crafts marketplace, and jousting. Music and comedy shows are presented on 11 stages, and more than 100 food and crafts vendors participate.

Details: Weekends Oct. 6-Nov. 18. 16445 Poplar Tent Road, Huntersville. $19 ($9 for kids 5-12; younger than 5 free) in advance; $1 more at the gate. www.royalfaires.com/carolina.

Matthews Alive!

The Labor Day weekend celebration supports non-profit organizations through music, arts and community involvement. More than 150 artists and crafts people demonstrate and display their art, and hundreds of entertainers provide free performances at the main band shell and many stages surrounding it.

Details: Aug. 31-Sept. 3. Corner of John and Trade Streets in Matthews. Free. www.matthewsalive.org.

Sensoria

Charlotte’s biggest arts festival is in April on the main campus of Central Piedmont Community College. Visual, culinary, musical and theatrical arts are on display, with highlights including free Shakespeare, jazz, film, spoken word and dance performances.

Details: Runs more than a week, every April. Various CPCC venues. http://sensoria.cpcc.edu.

Taste of Charlotte

Held along Tryon Street in uptown Charlotte, Taste of Charlotte offers attendees the chance to sample dishes from more than 30 restaurants offering more than 100 menu items. Live music, a kids’ play area and a local arts and crafts marketplace have made this event more popular every year since it began in 1999.

Details: Early June. Tryon Street from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Sixth Street. Admission is free; guests can purchase coins for their food samples and beverages. www.tasteofcharlotte.com.