SAN DIEGO–The entertainment lineup for the13th annual Sheila R. Hardin San Diego Multicultural Festival has been announced and it features an eclectic mix of performers all highlighting the city’s rich diversity. The free, family-friendly event, which will take place Saturday, January 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., typically brings more than 20,000 San Diegans downtown to celebrate cultures from around the globe.
The performers slated to appear include the Moonlight Chinese Dancers, Akayaa and Bolga Zohdoomah, Mariachi Juvenil Azteca, Portuguese American Dancers, Bayou Brothers, Soaring Eagles Youth Dance Group and Samahan Filipino American Performing Arts.
In addition to the performances, there will be storytelling and children’s activities as well as a wide range of food and retail vendors along with crowd favorites the Rad Hatter and RhythmWorx.
The festival is held along Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade (between Fourth Avenue and Market Street on Harbor Drive) across from the San Diego Convention Center.
This year the event was renamed for Sheila R. Hardin, a long-time community relations manager for Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC) and the driving force behind the popular festival. Hardin, a well-known ambassador for downtown, passed away in April 2010. A tribute to Hardin will take place at 1:45 p.m. on the festival’s main stage.
“Sheila helped create this event to encourage people to discover downtown and celebrate San Diego’s cultural diversity,” said Frank Alessi, executive vice president and chief financial officer at CCDC. “Our organization is extremely proud to honor Sheila’s memory and contributions by coordinating these annual festivities.”
This year’s event will also incorporate a variety of cultural and learning institutions as part of the Downtown Education Fair, which allows attendees to find out more about learning opportunities throughout downtown. A free drawing for prizes including Amtrak Surfliner passes, Disney on Ice tickets and gift cards is part of the fun, too.
The 13th Annual Sheila R. Hardin San Diego Multicultural Festival is made possible through generous community sponsorships from CCDC, SDG&E, the County of San Diego, Westfield Horton Plaza, Union Bank, Procurement Concepts, Inc., San Diego Community College District, Amtrak, Ampco System Parking, Waste Management and media partners KUSI Television, radio stations Magic 92.5 and Z90.3, and San Diego CityBeat.
For festival details and more information on this year’s entertainers, visit www.ccdc.com/ and click on the Meetings and Events tab or check out the festival’s Facebook page. For more information, call (619) 235-2222.
