As the Three Rivers Arts Festival prepares to take over Downtown Pittsburgh, another event will add to the upcoming festivities, with an emphasis on the city's immigrant and international communities.
World Square, a celebration organized by Welcoming Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, promises two weekends packed with art, crafts, music, dance, and cuisine "reflecting almost 30 international communities that call the Pittsburgh region their home."
“I'm excited for the opportunity to show once again the growing diversity of our city and the display of cultures that make our city a place where everyone can feel safe and welcome,” Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey says in a press release.
Happening June 2-4 and June 9-11, World Square will include traditional Balinese, Filipino, Balkan, Indian, Argentine, and Chinese music and dance performances. Visitors will also find decor, clothing, jewelry, and other goods made by Middle Eastern, African, Latin American, and Asian artisans.
The food offerings represent a wide array of dishes, from Middle Eastern, Filipino, and Indonesian treats to Mexican tacos and gorditas, as well as Nepalese dumplings, Colombian coffee, Salvadoran pupusas, Nigerian dishes, and more.
Originally launched in 2019, Wolrd Square is described as providing "a unique opportunity for vendors and artists to build connections through an entertaining and immersive experience that highlights the myriad of diverse communities taking root in our region."
To ensure that the event properly represented various cultures, the World Square steering committee worked with various partner organizations, including the Asian American Chamber of Commerce Pittsburgh, the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation, among others.
Feyisola Akintola, manager of immigrant and refugee affairs for the city of Pittsburgh, says that, with various partnerships and a "dedication to inclusion," the World Square program has become "an amazing testament to the growth of diversity in our region."
World Square. June 2-4 and June 9-11. Market Square, Downtown. Free to attend. downtownpittsburgh.com
Pittsburgh immigrant communities inform World Square dance, music, food, and more
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