Celebrating Multicultural and Multilingual Communities
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
Time: 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Location: Blount Cultural Park
The annual Kite Festival is one of ALIEEP’s signature events, reflecting its mission to promote multilingual and multicultural exchange. Held around the time of the Lunar New Year, the festival brings together diverse cultural communities, including Taiwan, Korea, India, and many others, to celebrate traditions through food, performances, and interactive activities.
Now in its sixth year, the event has grown into a vibrant community gathering that highlights cultural diversity and inclusion. One of the main highlights is the kite competition, where participants of all ages engage in friendly competition while enjoying the festive atmosphere.
The festival is also organized in collaboration with local community partners and features a variety of vendors, showcasing different cultural products, cuisines, and experiences. Through this event, ALIEEP creates a platform for cultural exchange, strengthens community connections, and promotes greater appreciation of global cultures within Alabama.
Media Coverage and Outreach
The Kite Festival was also featured by local media, including WAKA 8 News, as part of its community outreach and promotional efforts.
For me, this was my first time appearing on a television news program. I participated in an on-air interview conducted entirely in English, where I helped introduce and promote the Kite Festival. This experience was both meaningful and memorable, as it allowed me to communicate directly with a wider audience and share the purpose of the event beyond the local community.
Through this interview, I gained valuable experience in public communication and media engagement. It was also an interesting opportunity to step outside of my usual role and represent the organization in a public-facing setting, while promoting cultural diversity and community involvement in Alabama.
Cultural Activity Booth: Mahjong Bingo Game
Reflection
Through participating in and observing the overall planning and execution of the Kite Festival, I gained a deeper understanding of what it takes to operate a large-scale community event within a nonprofit organization. I realized that successful event management involves much more than on-site execution; it requires careful coordination and planning in advance across many different areas.
Key considerations included selecting an appropriate event date and time, developing promotional strategies, designing flyers and event passports, coordinating with vendors, and organizing a pre-event vendor briefing session. In addition, contingency planning such as preparing for rainy weather, arranging prizes, and creating signage for different activity stations were all essential parts of the preparation process.
Working in a small team environment at ALIEEP also made me realize that each member must maximize their contribution and take on multiple responsibilities. While there were moments of pressure and occasional misunderstandings during the process, these experiences also helped me learn how to communicate more effectively and collaborate under time constraints.
Despite the challenges, I was very grateful that the event was successfully completed. This experience strengthened my understanding of nonprofit event operations and taught me the importance of flexibility, teamwork, and problem-solving in real-world situations.
