Norwich makes the most of Peruvian event

  • 2018-08-11
On July 29, Peruvians United of Connecticut hosted the 2018 Peruvian Fest.

The festival held on Franklin Street recognized the culture of Peruvian residents and Norwich's Global City's initial event. It lasted four hours and offered music, food, and dancing from the culture of the South American country, along with vendors and a children's inflatable bounce water slide.

Global City is a program to benefit the downtown area of the town. It hosts cultural and diverse events for the community to engage in and learn. According to Peter Nystrom, mayor of Norwich, it is a way to bring out the heritage of residents. He welcomes each group to celebrate its diversity. Diversity festivals are also a way to promote downtown and market the retail and commercial areas. Popular areas are attractive to companies.

New London Democratic State Representative Chris Soto translated the speech by Peruvians United Gloria Escalante. She told the Franklin Square crowd about various locations in Peru like Lake Titicaca and Machu Picchu, as well as Peruvian culture. She disclosed that the festival's date was the day after Peru declared independence from Spanish rule in 1821.

Peruvians United contacted Suki Lagrito, a representative of Global City, to suggest the festival. Lagrito thought it matched the goals of the organization well and believes the event went better than she could have imagined, with a better turnout than expected.

A banner printing company is often hired in preparation for festivals like this one.