If you are a fan of multicultural events (you appreciate the variety other cultures bring, and are unlikely to yell lean to speak English, Canada! at a major sports event) Irvine has the perfect entertainment option for you.

Every year in October, people gather in various Irvine zip codes to celebrate the Irvine Global Village Festival. It's the largest festival of its kind in Orange County, and the ideal place to explore other cultures, get free food publicity for your own business, and have fun with the whole family. That's why more than 13,000 people come to Irvine for this one day festival celebrating at least 50 world cultures.

The Global Village Festival has several aspects which we will look at below, but of course one of the most important is that people from all backgrounds can gather without worrying about time and frequency standards and other societal divisions. And they can do so while enjoying particulars that appeal to people the world over; food, entertainment, and fun.

Food

Without a doubt, food is one of the greatest draws of the Global Village Festival. It's at festivals and multicultural gatherings such as the one at Irvine where North Americans really embraced sushi, Chinese food, perogies, and other staples of our diets today.

Food comes to the festival in several different ways. Most obvious are the multicultural restaurants which set up mini versions of themselves in the park. You'll find Greek food, Italian, Indian, and many other local restaurants offering their famous foods at greatly discounted prices here.

You'll also find food made by various cultural societies in Irvine, and this can sometimes be the least expensive and most flavorful of all. You don't exactly have to trade gold bullion bars for the food the restaurants offer, but getting a plate full of food for $6 isn't possible either. Look to the cultural societies for lower prices and bigger portions! You may even get a free cooking lesson, as Toronto visitors have found out.

Entertainment

Five stages are located throughout Bill Barber park. These stages will host various events from different groups and societies representing the cultures at the Global Village Festival. Enjoy the music and dance styles of the many different countries here, from Irish fiddling to Scottish highland dancing, Russian dance and even a world orchestra! There have been performances put on by Japanese kabuki stars as well as operatic numbers from all over the world.

You should also take some time to check out the displays of art work and clothing set up all over the park. These are both aesthetically and intellectually pleasing, as many include write ups of why the particular piece is important within a culture.

Fun

Well, it all sounds pretty fun, but some people define fun differently. You don't have to worry about your kids getting bored at the Festival, as they will love what is happening at the giant Kids Village. It's interactive and colorful, and sure to bring the kids out of any doldrums they may feel.