Families flood the school grounds as the sun shines down on them, not a cloud in sight. Booths representing countries of the world with foods, clothing and games are lined up across the boulevard. It was only lunchtime, and Worldfest had already kicked into full gear.

The annual event took place on the 21st of May, and despite hot temperatures, had a huge turnout. Students, parents and locals filled the FIS campus as they tried out foreign cuisines, looked at traditional souvenirs from around the world, took part in games, and enjoyed the sunshine and live performances.

Something for everyone: Kids could take part in a variety of games ranging from treasure hunts, trivia, football tournaments, face painting and more. While the kids engaged in games, adults enjoyed the warm weather by sitting out on the benches trying out different foods and listening to live music performed by FIS students.

Lasting from 12:00 until 16:00, the event celebrates “the diversity of [Frankfurt International School’s] international community” (excerpt from the fis.edu website). With booths representing over a dozen countries, visitors were guaranteed an afternoon of entertainment and delicious food (paid for by tickets purchased at the entrance). An FIS student, whose name is being kept anonymous, remarked that “the food was great…I planned on staying for an hour and ended up sticking around for the whole thing!”. The student, who joined FIS this year, also praised the sense of community that was felt at the event: “seeing families from FIS and around the area coming together is something really special that you don’t see very often”.

Applefest, a similar event that takes place every fall, centers itself around service groups rather than culture, but still has the same sense of community when it comes to the event. Open to the public, FIS hosts events like these to allow students and faculty to engage with one another outside of the classroom and allow locals and families to get a sense of the kind of diversity the school promotes. Be sure to check fis.edu out for further event dates and pictures from this year’s event!

Whether you come for the music, the games, or the Bratwurst, you are guaranteed a great afternoon with family and friends. 2017 proved itself to be yet another successful year of Worldfest at FIS, and we can’t wait to see what next year’s event has in store for us!