by Julie Gowel ·
Friday, February 20, 2026
A model of a Chinese temple made with interlocking pieces of wood that hold together without fasteners or glue. (Courtesy photo)
The Harvard Festival of Cultures, hosted by the Harvard Public Schools and the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Family Advisory Group, returns this spring after a long hiatus, and organizers are inviting the entire community to take part.
The festival will be held Tuesday, March 24, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Hildreth Elementary School, and registration to participate closes March 1. Families, students, and community members are encouraged to sign up to host a cultural exhibit table or to apply for one of 10 performance slots showcasing talents such as dance, martial arts, music, poetry, and storytelling.
The Festival of Cultures aims to celebrate the many backgrounds, traditions, and stories that make up the town’s population. It was a long-standing school tradition before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Dana Labb, current assistant superintendent and soon-to-be superintendent of schools.
“This is something I kept hearing last year that folks wanted to bring back,” Labb said in an interview with the Press. He drew on models used in previous districts where he worked, including Acton-Boxborough and Southbridge, and coordinated with the BIPOC advisory group to revive the festival this year.
For Labb, the motivation extends beyond a single evening. “Ways to engage the greater community” is a recurring topic of discussion at BIPOC meetings. He said it is important to the advisory group that they come up with outreach initiatives consistently throughout the year.
The goal, he emphasized, is not to create a one-time event that “ticks a box,” but to build meaningful connections among families, schools, and the broader town.“I don’t want [the festival] to be performative,” Labb said. “This is something that we hope to embed over a lot of moments in time throughout the year.”
By hosting the event in the Hildreth gymnasium, right by the front entrance, organizers hope to create a welcoming, open-house atmosphere, something Labb likened to a block party, rather than a formal program. Attendees will be able to visit tables at their own pace, engage in conversation, collect stamps in a small “passport,” and enjoy performances.
Labb hopes to see at least 20 exhibit tables. He expects performance spots to fill quickly, but says community members, even those without children currently in the schools, are invited to participate.
“There’s representation in our town that doesn’t necessarily have an active student in school,” he said. “If there’s somebody who wants to share something from their background or something they teach in the community, we want families to be able to see that and ask questions.”
In the current climate, Labb said he believes the festival carries added significance. “It’s a celebration of the people that make up our community,” he said. “When you celebrate the things that are great about all of us, that’s a big show of support for the people who live here. We stick together, and we take care of each other. I think that’s extra important right now.”
Ally Zhu, a member of the BIPOC Family Advisory Group, agrees. “Community is about dialogue, sharing, and love,” she said in an email to the Press. “It is cool to share something you love about your culture.”
Zhu will be hosting a Chinese culture table with friends. They plan to display models of ancient Chinese architectural structures, built with interlocking wooden pieces, constructed without nails or glue, along with handmade shadow puppets. Visitors will be invited to try activities, including learning Chinese knot decorations and exploring the use of an abacus. They may also try specialty foods.
“We hope every person who visits our table can have some hands-on experience and have some fun,” Zhu said.
For Zhu, participating is both personal and communal. “I feel it is a good way of community building,” she said. “I also hope my son can learn a little bit about Chinese culture and the cultures which other kids are nourished by.”
Organizers stress that exhibits do not have to be elaborate. In past festivals, tables have featured Lithuanian, Kenyan, Iranian, Mexican, Polish, Puerto Rican, Trinidadian, Turkish, Brazilian, and Chinese traditions, among others. Participants have offered everything from henna art and brush painting to games using chopsticks, traditional pastries, string quartets, Ukrainian songs, Irish step dancing, and Bollywood dance.
The common thread is pride and joy. “The exhibits we envision are something participants love or feel proud of with respect to their culture,” Zhu said.
Anyone interested in hosting a table or performing must complete registration forms by March 1. Questions may be directed to Dana Labb at dlabb@psharvard.org.
Register for a performance spot.