Concord Festival Unites 70 Cultures Despite the Rain

When Richard Facey served his first plate of Jamaican jerk chicken at Concord's Multicultural Festival on Sunday, he wasn't thinking about the rain. He was watching faces light up with that first bite of food he'd cooked with love.

Facey moved from Jamaica to Concord just last year with his wife Katie. When they attended the 2025 festival as guests, Katie noticed something missing: no Jamaican food stand. So this year, they became vendors themselves.

"The best part of it for me is when someone tried something that I prepared," Richard said. "When they try my food, they can feel that love."

He wasn't alone in that joy. Miriam Evans has been selling homemade tamales at the festival since 2018, watching people struggle to pronounce "tamal" before falling in love with the traditional Mexican dish. "It's kind of like seeing your toddler start to walk for the first time," she said.

More than 70 cultures filled Keach Park for the 19th annual celebration. Despite weather that would make most people stay home, the community showed up hungry for connection.

The stages featured newcomers too. Nikhil Karkare and Swechchha Tiwari performed together for the first time, mixing Indian musical styles. Karkare sang both Sufi devotional music and a Ganesha song honoring the ongoing festival in India. Tiwari practiced her Kathak and Bollywood dance fusion for over a month, perfecting every expression and movement.

"I know that people are not familiar with the dance style," Tiwari said. "But for me, it matters a lot."

The couple has lived in Concord since 2018 but always seemed to miss the festival. This year, Karkare didn't just perform. He joined the planning committee, eager to contribute to what he calls one of the state's biggest cultural celebrations.

Sunny's Take

Behind every food stand and performance was a story of someone bridging two worlds. Evans now makes tamales without her extended California family nearby, turning a group tradition into something she shares with strangers who become friends. The Faceys chose to showcase their heritage by serving jerk chicken without traditional sides, letting the flavors speak for themselves.

These weren't professional caterers or touring performers. They were neighbors choosing to spend their weekends cooking, practicing, and braving bad weather to say: "Here's something beautiful from where I come from."

Erika Rydberg-Hall, representing Sweden in the flag parade for her third year, summed it up perfectly: "We're New Hampshirites; we're hardy." Rain wasn't going to stop her from celebrating what makes Concord special.

In a world that often focuses on what divides us, thousands of people spent their Sunday getting rained on together, trying new foods, and watching each other's children dance.

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