World Square Celebrates Pittsburgh’s International, Immigrant Communities

Craft Market Stall
Photo credit KifaruFoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus

PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) — Market Square will become "World Square" on three Fridays this month.

The free event will celebrate the Pittsburgh area's international and immigrant communities with food, music and art.

“We know there’s so much negative talk that’s coming up from the federal level,” Pittsburgh Special Initiatives Manager Feyisola Akintola told Lynne Hayes-Freeland on KDKA Radio.

“We just want to say ‘You know what as a city, as a county, we are a welcoming place.’”

World Square runs from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and on the 13th and 27th.

A sampling of vendors includes: 

  • Alquisiras Paletria – small batch popsicles and ice cream 
  • Authentically African by Moa – featuring West African fashion and accessories 
  • Bae Bae’s Kitchen – serving Korean Food 
  • Cilantro & Ajo – serving Venezuelan cuisine 
  • Costa Ricart – selling handmade crafts from reused materials 
  • Flatboat Fair Traders – Fair Trade items from Nicaragua and Costa Rica 
  • Salsa Aguilar – small batch gourmet salsas 
  • Pop Up in Pittsburgh – Vietnamese 3d paper greeting cards 

Entertainment will vary each of the three evenings and additional entertainers are expected to be added to each evening, but initial lineups are as follows: 

September 6 – DJ Simi, Kenia Ashby – a Brazilian Jazz Singer, Naina Kathak – performing traditional Indian dance, Balkan Babes – a Balkan Roma Band, Jmiirye – a Nigerian singer, and Appalasia – performing Appalachian – Chinese Folk 

September 13 – DJ Simi, Geña y Peña – performing Latin American and Caribbean music, Jemiriye – a Nigerian Singer, Noel Quintana & The Latin Crew – performing music from Latin America, Naina Kathak – performing Bhutanese music, and Los Sabrosos - a Latin dance company. 

September 27 – Global Beats DJ, Hugo Cruz & the Caminos – performing Afro-Cuban jazz, Pittsburgh Samba + Timbeleza – Samba Dancers with a live band, Purple Lotus Guzheng – Traditional Chinese harpists, and Los Sabrosos - a Latin dance company. 

See more at WorldSquarePGH.com. 

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