Global Fest has been a staple of ISOC, being held every spring semester since its conception in 2016. It was created to “bring together the diverse cultural groups of our community.” Many of the cultural organizations at Mount Holyoke have separate nights to showcase their distinctive cultures, so Global Fest was started as a way to bring together the wide variety of nationalities and cultures in an inclusive space. As Anisha Pai (India), class of 2019 and ISOC co-chair in 2019, said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News, February 8, 2019, “[Global Fest] is really about getting to revel in your own culture”.
The events have varied slightly year to year – some years had food trucks instead of serving food at the Blanchard Dining Hall, other years had booths and projects created by cultural organizations, or showcases in Chapin Auditorium complete with invited guests and performers. Despite fluctuations in scale, Global Fest has always been about celebrating the many cultures represented at Mount Holyoke and the international students who make this campus what it is.
The first Global Fest, held in 2016, had performances from several organizations, including Mount Holyoke’s Bollywood-fusion dance group Taal, the 5 College Consortium’s J-Pop dance troupe ODM, and Smith College’s Aztec dance group Xochiquetzal. They also finished by celebrating Holi, the Festival of Colors, hosted by MHC’s South Asian Association AWAZ at the Lantern Green.
Global Fest 2019 was held at the Chapin Auditorium and hosted a wide array of booths, food, and performances. Notably, this Global Fest included performances by singer and activist Taina Asili as well as by student organizations from the Five College Consortium.