Ethnic Expo starts Friday around Columbus City Hall

Ethnic Expo kicks off Friday morning in downtown Columbus in the streets around City Hall.

Katherine Dunn, organizer of the annual festival for the city, explains that this year’s host country is India, which will be represented by the Indian Association of Columbus.

There will also be Indian-themed performances on the main stage and sessions where you can take part in Bollywood style dancing and sample yoga.

Friday night’s headliner is musician Kiran Ahluwalia, who has both Indian and Pakistani influences in her music. She will take the stage at 8 p.m.

Saturday night’s headliner will be local favorite the Tiptoniana, Dunn said.

Ethnic Expo runs from 11 a.m. in the morning to 10 p.m. at night Friday and Saturday. If you are coming down to eat or shop, Dunn recommends bringing cash as many vendors will not be set up for credit cards.

The presenting sponsor, for the 10th year in a row, is First Financial Bank, for the tenth year in a row, and other sponsors including Coca-Cola, ERMCO Electric and Milestone. The festival is also supported by the Indiana Arts Commission, the Columbus Area Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

You can get more information at ethnicexpo.org.