Having created a successful community event to celebrate Black History Month, Kimberly Bailey Tureaud and her husband, Charles Tureaud, found they wanted to expand their reach and promote diversity of all kinds.
So after launching the Taste and Sounds of Soul Festival in 2001, they came back five years later to start the Las Vegas Culture Fest, a celebration of all of the types of people who call Nevada home.
“We wanted to do an event that made everyone feel included, all the cultures of Las Vegas,” said Bailey Tureaud, the daughter of Las Vegas entertainer and civil rights leader Bob Bailey. “We reached out to the Hispanic community, Asian community, Pacific Islanders, African-Americans, Germans ... we invited everyone.”
Ninth annual Las Vegas Culture Fest
WHERE: Fremont Street Experience
WHEN: 11 a.m. to midnight, Sept. 27-28
ADMISSION: Free
INFO: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Las-Vegas-Culture-Fest-Food-and-Music-Festival/1471530233121287
The ninth annual Las Vegas Culture Festival will be held Sept. 27-28 at the Fremont Street Experience. The event is a rare chance for small businesses that typically cater to a narrow customer base to reach out and get exposure at one of the area's top tourist attractions. It's also an opportunity for the public to enjoy a range of foods and musical styles from around the world. Organizers are expecting about 40 vendors to be on hand.
Bob Bailey was a pioneer in Southern Nevada, becoming the first African-American local television personality and playing a key role in desegregating the casinos. Although the community has come a long way since then, it is still vitally important to champion diversity — most of all for the economy, Bailey Tureaud said.
“You can’t justify talking about the Las Vegas economy growing and not talk about diversity. With no diversity, there’s no wealth,” she said. “You can’t come out just marketing to one industry or set of anything. You’re cutting yourself off from the vast monetary gain of reaching the masses. The masses don’t look like one thing; they look like various things.”
The festival is a melting pot of vendors and performances representing a range of cultures, and the organizers are always looking for more participants. Food varieties include Asian, Mexican, Indian, soul, Southern and Venezuelan. The musical selection includes Bollywood hits, Reggae, R&B, classics and more.
“There are flags of various nations that line the Fremont Street Experience, and everywhere you go you’ll hear a different type of music,” Bailey Tureaud said.
Both of the events founded by the couple are still going strong, with the Taste of Sounds of Soul Festival having celebrated its 13th year in February.
“We care about the community coming together,” Charles Tureaud said. “That’s the big picture.”
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy