12 sister cities descend on Denver
The world comes to Colorado this weekend courtesy of Denver’s 12 sister cities from across the globe.
The highlight is Sunday’s Worldwide Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Tivoli Student Union on the Auraria Campus.
Admission is free, and organizers promise a family friendly celebration of “art, music, dance, food, languages and stories” that will include Taiko drums, Ethiopian coffee, Indian henna tattoos, Israeli dance, (and) Kenyan fashion.
Friday at 6 p.m., History Colorado will host a 30th anniversary celebration of the Kunming-Denver Sister City relationship. The deputy mayor of Kunming and other government delegates are expected, as well as a performance by Kunming Ethnic Song & Dance Troupe.
Tickets to that event are $45 for Sister Cities members and $55 for non-members. The online registration also gives attendees a choice of meals.
Tickets are also available for Denver’s International Gala Saturday night at the Denver Performing Arts Center. Declared an official diplomatic event by the Colorado Consular Corps, the gala is expected to attract more than 35 diplomats, including the mayors of Denver’s Sister Cities of Nairobi, Kenya, and Brest, France, as well as the consul general of China (from Chicago) and the consul general of Russia (from San Francisco)
The dinner at Kevin Taylor’s at the Opera House is $150 and begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are available online.
“Denver’s International Gala is an opportunity to mingle with dignitaries from around the world and enjoy global cultures,” said Beth Hendrix, executive director of Denver Sister Cities International. The event is hosted by Denver Deputy Mayor Don Mares.
Sister Cities International, which represents 1,749 international communities in 134 countries, recently recognized Denver as having the best overall program among large cities. Denver’s first sister city relationship was established with Brest in 1948. Its sister cities now include Takayama, Japan; Nairobi, Kenya; Karmiel, Israel; Potenza, Italy; Cuernavaca, Mexico; Chennai, India; Kunming, China; Axum, Ethiopia; and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.