Bringing the World to the Heart of Raleigh

Freddy the Street Genie

In a way to celebrate diversity in Raleigh, thousands of people flocked to Fayetteville Street despite the rain to take part in the city's 4th-annual International Food Festival on Saturday. This free, family-friendly event that lasted throughout the day showcased cross-cultural entertainment for all ages.

Music, as well as the food, were the main attractions at the downtown festival as all types of performance enlightened the crowd – from salsa dancing to Irish dancing to hip-hop shows.

Check out the accompanying gallery to see photos from the event.

The food was a smorgasbord of global street fare from places such as El Salvador, Cuba, China, Hungary, Greece, India and Lithuania. And those looking to indulge in some international beers had a plethora to choose from, including Holy Grail from England, Baltica from Russia, OK Beer Okocim from Poland and Germany’s Gaffel.

One of the big features at the festival were the Chimney Cakes. These handcrafted Hungarian pastries, or Kürtoskalács, are sweet dough cones that are spiraled around a wooden roll and baked rotisserie style over an open flame.

More than 17,000 people attended last year's event.