PEABODY — For the 40th year, Peabody will welcome tens of thousands of people to its International Festival to celebrate diversity with food, art and music.
International Festival, according to its website, continues to attract between 50,000 and 80,000 people to Peabody Square year after year.
“The International Festival is the largest celebration of its kind on the North Shore,” Mayor Ted Bettencourt said. “Free and open to the public, the Festival showcases Peabody’s rich ethnic diversity and strong community spirit.”
It was founded in 1984 by Mayor Peter Torigian, who died in 2004, as a way to connect neighbors while celebrating and appreciating each other’s cultures and various backgrounds. International Festival is considered to be one of Torigian’s “crowning achievements.”
“I think it would be a big mistake not to have the festival for future years to come because it is once a year, and it’s a reminder of what we are as people,” Torigian once said. “It’s a reminder (that) we’re no different. If you pinch me, I’m going to say ‘ouch.’ No different than a person who’s wearing different clothes or eating different food than I am. … We’re all the same (and) we’re in this world together.”
Since 2005, the Peter Torigian Memorial International Spirit Award has been bestowed upon someone who is committed to Torigian’s ideals of community service. Last year’s award went to Tim Brown, Northeast Arc’s chief innovation and strategy officer.
This year’s festival is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 7, with a rain date of Sunday, Sept. 14.
There will be over 75 booths, 40 local artists and all-day musical entertainment from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at two sites: one at the corner of Chestnut Street and Lowell Street, and the other at the corner of Main Street and Washington Street.
“The fact that it’s been a peaceful and wonderful way to share everybody’s culture through music, dance and food, and to be able to co-exist peacefully when so many other bad things are going on in this world is one of the reasons it’s been successful,” said Judy Selesnick, former Festival chair and city councilor.
As all aspects of the International Festival showcase various ethnic backgrounds, the musical entertainment is no different. This year’s line up includes musicians and dancers who will showcase many cultures.
Sayat Nova will perform vibrant folk dances while promoting Armenian heritage at 2:30 p.m. on the Peabody Square Stage. Another dance group, Sinha Capoeira, will take the Upper Main Stage at 2:10 p.m. Their 15 performers will blend fighting and dancing to highlight Afro-Brazilian dance.
Polish orchestra Warszawiaki Orchestra will have everyone ready to polka as they play traditional Polish music with heart and soul. The Warszawiaki Orchestra has been proudly performing at Peabody’s International Festival since the event’s inception.
Tony Giblin and Eamon Coyne, an Irish duo, will blend the fiddle with guitar and vocals to create a rich, Irish sound at noon on the Upper Main Stage.
There will be many Latin-inspired performances, including the Camelia Latin Dance Band, which will hit the Upper Main Stage at 1:15 p.m. and take listeners on a rhythmic journey through Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
A handful of Caribbean-influenced performers will also take the stage. One is The Dis N Dat Band, which bring the ultimate Caribbean vibe with high-energy performances rooted in the sounds of Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica and Antigua at 2:30 p.m. on the Upper Main Stage.
For information about the rest of the 2025 line up, visit ifestpeabody.com/entertainment/.
The over 70 food vendors will showcase cuisine from all over the world, including Ireland, Greece, Portugal, China, Italy and more. There will also be many artisan market vendors for shoppers who may want to find new trinkets to take home or for people interested in art booths such as Face Paint Fantasy or Wicked Good Henna.
For more general information about the International Festival, visit ifestpeabody.com.
