Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy will be hosting their annual CultureFest from 5:20 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26.

This event is a celebration of the traditions of different cultures, according to Daniel Gonzalez, SWLCA Spanish teacher, event coordinator.

“It’s a festival to celebrate cultures together. SWLCA wants to teach and learn more about other cultures to others.”

SWLCA holds this event every year with the goal to cultivate understanding and appreciation for global experiences, countries and cultures within Southwest Louisiana. This is especially important for the students of SWLCA, as much of the student body is multicultural, he said.

“SWCLA knows this type of event can help teach our students a culture’s norms and collective ideas based on their culture, religion, nationality, language and other elements.”

A large variety of countries and cultures will be represented, including Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Africa, Colombia, Japan and the Dominican Republic.

To bring the energy, there will be live zydeco music, Zumba and dance performances by SWCLA students that will highlight some of the cultures represented at CultureFest.

There will be plenty of multicultural food available – Mexican, Colombian, Venezuela, Puerto Rican, Peruvian, Honduras, Guatemala Asian, Jamaican to name a few.

Guests are encouraged to wear clothing that is representative of their cultures.

CultureFest will take place at SWLCA, 1700 E. McNeese St.

The event is free and open to the public.