As UC Santa Cruz’s annual Multicultural Festival (MCF) enters its 43rd year, it remains one of the longest-running events at the university. Every May, over a dozen organizations on campus come together to celebrate different cultures by sharing ethnic foods and performances.

Over 150 people gathered on the green turf of Oakes Lower Lawn to celebrate the 43rd MCF on May 17. Some attendees laid on picnic blankets as others swayed and danced along to the music from performances onstage.

For many, the festival is not just a celebration — it is a place of resistance.

“Our federal administration, they’re trying to cancel DEI,” said Nashaly Pari-Candia, a student organizer for the event and a Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán (M.E.C.h.A) representative. “Spaces like these are really important to show that people of color are going to be here. We’ve been the foundation of America.”

The annual event is completely student-led, with the supervision of UCSC Student Organization Advising & Resources (SOAR), a student-governed office at UCSC that aims to empower students and enact positive change on campus. A committee comes together each year in January looking to represent different cultural organizations on campus through MCF. 

Because of the Trump administration’s recent attacks on DEI initiatives, this year’s festival was titled “Free of Fear, We’re Still Here.”

“[MCF is] a space that uplifts all our cultural organizations,” said Jennifer Abrego Ruiz, an operations coordinator for the event. “Especially in the political climate that we’re currently in, it’s really important for us to make sure that we provide these spaces for students to continue uplifting each other.”

“Here at UC Santa Cruz, the administration doesn’t do much to support students of color,” Ruiz continued. “So, it’s really important that we make these spaces for folks to really feel uplifted and find a way to practice their joy and their culture.” 

Attendees lay on the green Lower Oakes Lawn and browse the vast menu of food being sold by student cultural organizations. Performances occur simultaneously on stage. 

Organizations sold foods like spam musubi, lumpia, onigiri, fresas con crema, and tacos, reflecting the vast variety of cultures present. M.E.C.h.A, in particular, sold paletas, an ice cream dessert originating from Mexico. 

“There’s barely any good cultural food [in Santa Cruz],” Pari-Candia said. “I’m first generation, my parents are immigrants and I think that’s one of the only ways I really connected with culture because I think food is so great to share not only within your own community, but with other people.” 

Performances continued onstage throughout the afternoon. The groups included:  

  • Acquire A Cappella
  • Grupo Folklórico Los Mejicas
  • Haluan Hip Hop Dance Troupe
  • Isang Himig
  • Kalanjali
  • Kasama
  • Pagkakaisa Dance Troupe
  • Sabrosura Latin Dance Troupe
  • Sigma Lambda Beta
  • Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority Inc. 
  • Sigma Pi Alpha Sorority
  • Vietnamese Student Association

One of the groups, UCSC Vietnamese Student Association (VSA), entered the stage, donning blue VSA shirts, bamboo hats and red folding fans. The dancers wielded the colorful fans, swaying with gentle movements to the sound of traditional Vietnamese and modern American music.

“I think there’s a lot of culture embedded into our dance with our traditional fans and our traditional hats,” said Jasmine Chau, a performer and member of VSA. “It’s nice being able to embrace that culture while also adding modern fusion. It’s kind of like combining what our parents taught us with what we know now as Vietnamese Americans in California.”

Chau also expressed her feelings about different cultures coming together, despite actions and statements from the federal administration.

“[For] the different clubs here, it’s very good that we all come together in solidarity because a lot of us are minorities and of marginalized communities,” Chau said. “Especially with the new DEI movements [and] this new administration, I think it’s really important that we really come together and unite in our cultural heritage.”

[SLIDES 1 – 5] Various organizations perform cultural dances and chants on stage at Oakes Lower Lawn. Some of the groups include Vietnamese Student Association, Sigma Pi Alpha Sorority, Kalanjali and White Hawk Indian Council for Children. [SLIDE 6] Filipino-Australian singer, songwriter, and actress Ylona Garcia performs the closing act for an enthusiastic audience. Garcia has over 4 million followers on Instagram and is a notable figure in the Pilipino community. 

As the event came to a close, many students remained. While the sun set behind the stage, others danced along to the songs from the event’s headliner, Ylona Garcia, a Filipina-Australian pop artist.

While the performances and food celebrated cultural communities on campus, it also sent an important reminder to the university and federal administration: Students are not willing to back down.

“There’s a lot of [efforts that are] trying to separate minorities in order for them not to acknowledge each other in America,” Chau said. “It’s nice having this community where we can all come together and be like, ‘We’re here. We’re here for each other. No one is here alone.’”