World Carnival Festival Celebrates Diversity and Cross-Cultural Exchange

During the last weekend of April, the 2019 World Carnival Festival was held at NTU as a celebration of diversity and cultural exchange open to the public. The World Carnival was hosted as part of the Break and Fuse Festival, which has been jointly organized by National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), and NTU since 2015. This year’s World Carnival Festival was co-organized by NTU’s Office of Student Affairs, Overseas Students Advising Division, and Office of International Affairs.

The 2019 World Carnival Festival kicked off on Saturday, April 27, with a series of dance performances including traditional Kayau Dance presented by Indonesian students of NTUST, a singing performance by oversea students of NTNU, and a presentation of the traditional Thousand Islands Dance by NTU’s overseas Indonesian students. Subsequently, the event was officially opened by NTU’s Executive Vice President and Vice President for International Affairs Chiapei Chou (周家蓓). Executive Vice President Chou welcomed the numerous visitors, guests, and students who with their enthusiastic contributions and support brought the event alive.

The Multicultural Festival on Saturday was an opportunity to present and cherish cultural diversity with 25 registered student groups and 32 booths offering a wide range of local specialties. Visitors were able to experience and taste diverse regional delicacies ranging from Vietnamese spring rolls and sandwiches, Swiss cheese potatoes, to Malaysian chicken curry. In the afternoon, singing and dance performances by Malaysian and Indonesian student groups offered numerous visitors, guests, and students entertaining glimpses into the diverse cultures represented at NTU. The festival continued on Sunday, April 28, with the International Singing Contest especially popular among students. It offered the 34 individuals and 8 groups participating in the five-hour contest an opportunity to present their talents, perform in front of a wider audience, and express their culture.

Attracting more than a thousand visitors per day to NTU’s beautiful campus, the Break and Fuse Festival: World Carnival Festival 2019 was an invitation to students, guests, and the public to celebrate pluralism and cross-cultural exchange. This festival rightly showcased and expressed Taiwan’s vibrant and multicultural university environment as well as NTU’s global agenda.