You can take a trip around the world this November without even needing a passport





Holiday Folk Fair International



MILWAUKEE -- You can take a trip around the world this November without even needing a passport. This, during the three-day Holiday Folk Fair International.

It's a world of cultures under one roof.

"We have over 60 different ethnic communities," said Alexander Durtka, president and CEO of the International Institute of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

The Holiday Folk Fair International offers an opportunity to experience food, music, dance and art from around the world -- cultures that have influenced life in SE Wisconsin.

"Even if it is a different culture, it is good for people to know everybody's background," said Sarah Nketiah, from Liberia.



Nketiah will be there with items from her African grocery store.

"As soon as you open your mouth and speak people say, 'where are you from?'" said Nketiah.

At City Hall on Monday, September 18th, traditional Ukranian dancers helped officials announce this year's Folk Fair theme: "Welcome." It goes hand-in-hand with International "Welcoming Week."

The message is to embrace cultures different than yours, and get to know your neighbor.

"What we don't know, we are generally very fearful of. What we do know, we feel much more comfortable about," said Durtka.

The International Institute of Wisconsin is finalizing international performance groups for the fair in November.

"We're waiting on one from the Bahamas. The other is from Kenya, and there is a possibility of a third," said Durtka.



Nketiah said she looks forward to bringing Wisconsinites together through her culture.

Holiday Folk Fair International



"Milwaukee will be better if we all work as one," said Nketiah.

This year's Holiday Folk Fair International will be held Friday, November 17th through Sunday, November 19th at State Fair Park.

Advance tickets will be sold for $10 each, with family four-packs for $36, and available for purchase on-line at www.folkfair.org. Admission at the gate will be $12 for adults; $8 for children ages 6 to 12; children under the age of five will be admitted at no charge. Those 62 and over will be admitted for $10, and all military personnel with a military ID card will be admitted free.

For more information on the 2017 Holiday Folk Fair International, visit www.folkfair.org or call the International Institute of Wisconsin at 414-225-6225.