CSULB celebrates the cultural heritage that shapes the community

Cal State Long Beach is inviting friends to pick up a passport and experience the many global cultures that add so much life to the campus and its hometown.

The inaugural Global Fest @ The Beach is scheduled for Sept. 26. The festivities take inspiration from the community energy generated several years ago during the 75th Anniversary Kickoff Concert, which celebrated The Beach's origins. This new event will also take a glance at the past - honoring Golden Grads from the Class of 1977 - while focusing on today's campus and the city it calls home.

"The Long Beach community and its diversity are an integral part of Cal State Long Beach," said Director of Alumni Engagement Noemi Guevara '08. "We want to celebrate our Long Beach roots while paying tribute to the people and cultures that shape our campus."

When they enter the festival grounds, visitors will be able to pick up a "passport," allowing them to get stamps after visiting different attractions around the North Lawn and LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid. These include a section dedicated to the metaphorical Four Corners of the World, to feature vendors and cultural exhibits highlighting arts and people from around the planet.

Live music and dance performances will entertain guests throughout the day. Headlining will be Boxcar 7. Additional musicians include Mariachi Los Tiburones de CSULB, composed of student musicians; TAIKOPROJECT, a Los Angeles group playing its own style of Japanese drumming; Dramane Koné, a griot and percussionist from Burkina Faso, and C-Bone and the Soul Shack Players.

Additionally, dance aficionados will be able to see an exhibition of Chinese lion dance, as well as Samoan and Polynesian styles from The Heart of the Islands.

Guests can sample a variety of cuisines from food trucks and other vendors, pick up CSULB merch from the University Bookstore, and take a nostalgic look at memorabilia from Golden Grads' time at CSULB. Alumni and others in the know may recall 1977 starting with the Big Brown Music Machine's appearance at the Rose Parade.

Representatives from student organizations and Beach colleges and programs will also be present to meet with guests.