If you have the urge to travel the globe and experience different food and cultures, this weekend’s Mainstreet Kent International Festival and Chocolate Walk will give you a taste of countries around the world. 

The festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 13th from 12-7 p.m. According to Main Street Kent’s website, vendor and information booths will be set up on N. Water St. next to the Hometown Bank plaza. Food, demonstrations, music and art will be the center of the festival. The Chocolate Walk will take place during the festival. While the International Festival is free, the cost per chocolate walk ticket is $20 and there is a limit of 200 who can participate. Advance tickets are still available on the Kent Main Street website.

Heather Malarcik, the executive director for Main Street Kent, said, “The Chocolate Walk will feature 23 businesses that will be distributing chocolate from around the world.” 

Treats will include Polish, Italian, German and South American chocolates, for sale at various venders. Malarcik said the planning committee for the event is made of up business owners in downtown and volunteers from Kent. Malarcik also said the committee and the global education office made sure international students and clubs had no other scheduled events on the day of the festival.

“This is really our effort to welcome people from all over the world who are in our city to study and to live,” Malarcik said. 

Main Street Kent hopes to see a large turnout for the event. Malarcik said hundreds, possibly thousands attended last year, but with the event lasting seven hours there is no way to have an exact measure. 

This year’s international festival will be downtown Kent’s fourth run. The day’s schedule of events can be found on the Main Street Kent website.

Contact Ashley Kotlenz at [email protected].