With colorful ensembles filling the room and the smell of Indian samosas and Korean tteokbokki in the air, the Lory Student Center came to life for the World Unity Fair on Saturday. From activities and local cuisines to an international fashion show, the event provided an opportunity to experience the many cultures present in the Colorado State University and Fort Collins communities. 

“The World Unity Fair is a large international festival that celebrates all of the different cultures here at CSU,” said Bronwen Watts, assistant director of programming in the Office of International Programs. “This is the 70th year that we’re having this event, so it’s been going on a very long time. It’s just one of the best ways to travel around the world in a couple of hours. Food, drinks, music — it’s just the best way to see everything.”

For student organizations and local cultural groups, the World Unity Fair provided an opportunity for fundraising through food sales.

“Our food is almost sold out,” said Ray Chou, who represented Taiwan at the event. “I like that people try to understand our cultures and everything. I’m glad to talk to them. I’m glad that CSU has the World Unity Fair and can help other people know about Taiwan.”

The World Unity Fair also aimed to connect students and other community members with the international community in Fort Collins.

“I’m here because I love this event,” said Christina Hathaway, CSU student and representative of the Chinese Language Club. “This is my third year here. This is my first year tabling at it, which is exciting because it’s my last year as a student. I feel like I’ve come full circle from being new here and feeling welcomed here.”

There was much to see, taste and experience at this event, and many students had the chance to learn about new cultures through the World Unity Fair. 

“This is my second year,” Faith VanOrman said. “It kind of gets bigger every single year, but it’s so much fun. Seeing all the different outfits that people are wearing, the performances are amazing and it’s great to kind of be able to walk around and experience a lot of culture in just a few minutes. I think that’s really cool, and it’s a great way to bring people together right now.” 

The fair, which spread to new rooms in the LSC this year, has continued to grow over the years, Watts said. 

“In my first several years here, we probably had around 2,000 or so people, maybe 3,000 people,” Watts said. “Last year, we had over 4,000, and this year, we’re on track to match that or possibly exceed it.”

With more clubs participating each year, CSU has gotten an expanded taste of global cultures.

“We have over 100 countries that are at CSU among our international populations,” Watts said. “It’s just such a cool way to share this little microcosm of an international culture that lives on this campus. It’s the way that we get to bring the world to Fort Collins.” 

Every year, the fair celebrates what it means to be a part of the global community. 

“Now is a really good time to remind people in Northern Colorado what it means to be surrounded by people who come from different backgrounds, do different things with their day-to-day lives and how that also makes us all the richer for it,” said Kyah Probst, communications coordinator with the Office of International Programs. “I’m really passionate about it, and I’m glad that our whole community shows up the way they do.” 

Many international students said the event helped forge new connections among people.

“I’m from Pakistan, and I’m a Muslim,” said Areen Akbar, an organizer of the event and president of Council of International Student Affairs. “I have these shared identities that I share with a lot of other cultures. That’s a fun experience for me, to see how different cultures can come together and have those similarities.” 

As the event continues to grow, the Office of International Programs and COISA prepare for the World Unity Fair far in advance. 

“We reserve the space and kind of the overall logistics of things, and then the clubs come in and actually do their own booths and their performances, and they decide what food they want the LSC to cook and send the recipes for,” Watts said. 

Attendees also had the chance to buy a World Unity Fair cookbook.

“I spent the entire month of December and January last year designing this cookbook, and it was kind of a hit,” Probst said. “I added more recipes and kind of made it this best-of-all-time edition. It’s just something that I really love having in my own home, and I hope that people who purchase it do too.”

With food, performances and music, the energy of CSU’s international community was almost tangible, some students said.

“As international students, sometimes we do feel like we’re different and like there’s no way we could fit in, but I think this is what represents the differences and how beautiful they can be,” Akbar said. “Not everything can be the same and they don’t need to be.”

Reach Gracie Douglas at life@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.