Celebration of Nations – October 8th, 2016 – Historic Downtown Franklin, TN

On October 8^th from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. the Sister Cities of Franklin and Williamson County will present the eighth annual “Celebration of Nations” festival in downtown Franklin, TN.  The mission of the Celebration of Nations is to create global and cultural passion, beginning with a personal knowledge and understanding of the interconnectedness of people universally.  They believe one way to accomplish this goal is through genuine artistic and sensory representations of various nations.  This unique affair will consist of booths featuring different products and techniques used around the world.  Booths will be displaying representation of one or more cultures.  Food and beverages from a variety of nations will also be available.

The event will take place on 4th Avenue South (in front of the parking garage) and the connecting alley from 4th Avenue to the Historic Williamson County Courthouse.  Two stages featuring music and dance from around the globe will be seen and heard throughout the day.  At 7:30 p.m. this year’s headliner, “San Rafael Band” featuring Rafael Vasquez will take the stage.

Vasquez is a talented songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist who is comfortable with a variety of instruments and styles ranging from conjunto’s bajo sexton, jazz, classical, blues and rock, and has been in high demand for years.  In the last few years Vasquez has begun to work with students at Belmont University and in the Metro Nashville Public Schools to share his knowledge of music and Hispanic culture.  Fluent in both English and Spanish, Rafael is a tremendous asset to the “Música de la gente” – “Music of the People program”.  This is a great entertainer with an amazing band that you don’t want to miss!

Starting at 4 p.m. a variety of international beers and wines from 15 different countries will be available individually for six dollars.  The rest of the festival’s activities are free and open to the public.