FusionFest

Orange County is home to an increasingly diverse community of people who enrich each others’ lives with different cultures and languages.

In its first year, FusionFest had around 8,000 people enjoying a weekend filled with music, dance, art, literature, fashion, culture, and fun! We had performers, vendors and volunteers from more than 100 heritages sharing their talents throughout the festival.

FusionFest was recognized as a project that positively impacts the community and received the "Award of Excellence" at the Golden Brick Awards hosted by the Downtown Orlando Partnership, and won 1st place in "Community Outreach Program" from the Florida Festivals and Events Association.

Some of the early stepping stones to the festival were bimonthly "Gathering of Nations" events with a few people from every heritage we could find in Central Florida (currently we have more than 140 heritages identified). Each of the Gatherings was focused on a particular aspect of culture ̶ Food, Dance, Music, Clothing, Games, Literature. These explorations helped us envision what a "fusion" festival would look like - a place where we honored our heritages while celebrating how we influence each other as we shape our own unique identity as Central Floridians.