World Beat Festival returns to Riverfront Park for its 26th year this weekend to celebrate over 70 nations and cultures from around the world and their local ties to Oregon.
This year’s theme is spotlighting the Philippines, the southeast Asian island nation in the western Pacific Ocean where more than 182 ethnolinguistic groups reside.
Oregon is home to about 21,000 Filipinos with approximately 950 in Salem, according to 2021 Census data.
Since Covid, the festival hasn’t been able to highlight one specific country or culture as a result of the reduced planning time, said Joe Romero, the assistant director. This year they wanted to highlight the Philippines for the first time and give their community a long-awaited spotlight.
This means people can expect additional Filipino performers, vendors, and spotlight time.
This years Filipino headliner is Talio Marfil, a West Bisayan, Filipino-American hip-hop artist from Portland.
People can also enjoy performances from over 100 different music and dance groups, dragon boat races, 80 different vendors and exhibitors, and cultural crafts and activities such as African collar necklace making, Korean Taegeuk fans, and pull piñatas.
For the greater Salem community, the event creates an opportunity to “expose the community to a variety of cultures,” Ramero said.
The dragon boat races begin Saturday at Riverfront Park, where 20-person paddler boats will race 375m on the race course, starting at the south side of the Center Street Bridge and finishing at the south end of the park dock. After the two qualifying heats, winners will proceed to the semi-finals and then finals.
The festival is a “beautiful celebration of our diversity,” said Jan Micheal Looking Wolf, a local Kalapuya tribal member and world-renowned Native American flute player. This will be his twelfth year back at the World Beat Festival.
Looking Wolf will be performing Friday at 5:15 p.m. debuting new songs from his group, Native Rows, a Native American style folk music group.
Since coming to the U.S. from Samoa 25 years ago, Craig and Tasi Keener, organizers of the Paradise of Samoa Polynesian Dance Troupe based in Salem, have appreciated the World Beat Festival for allowing them “a venue to share our culture with the greater community,” said Craig Keener.
The Paradise of Samoa dancers are back for their 19th year, featuring multigenerational dancers ranging from 6 to 60.
Keener loves how you get transported to new countries as you wander through the villages at the World Beat Center, “It’s almost like doing a world tour,” he said.
They will be performing the fire dances at dusk on Friday and Saturday night.
Keener hopes people can take away the rich and multifaceted culture Samoa and the other Polynesian islands have to offer.
“We aren’t all wrestlers or football players, there is also a rich artistic community in Samoa,” Keener said.
The festival runs June 23-25. Festivities begin on 5 p.m. Friday.
Saturday expect a jam-packed day from 10 a.m. – 11 p.m., kicking off with the children’s parade at 9:45 a.m., followed by dragon boat racing, performances and more.
“If there is one day to make it to the festival it’s Saturday” said Ramero.
Sunday runs from 11a.m. – 6p.m.
Tickets are $15 for a weekend pass or $10 for the day. Children under 14 and SNAP card holders get in free.
No pets will be allowed within the ground except for service animals, as a result of previous mishaps, said director Kathleen Fish.
The event was made possible by over 400 volunteers, 70 sponsors, and 150 exhibitors.
“I have never seen people work harder for an event in my life,” said Fish.
To get tickets, check the schedule and learn more about events, go to World Beat Festival 2023.
Contact reporter Natalie Sharp: [email protected] or 503-522-6493.
SUPPORT OUR WORK – We depend on subscribers for resources to report on Salem with care and depth, fairness and accuracy. Subscribe today to get our daily newsletters and more. Click I want to subscribe!
Natalie Sharp is an Oregon State University student working as a reporter for Salem Reporter in summer 2023. She is part of the Snowden internship program at the University of Oregon's School of Communication and Journalism.
