Music festival brings fusions of culture and genres to Waterloo Park

Music from all over the world landed right in Waterloo Park this weekend.

The 17th annual Kultrun World Music Festival brings artists from all over the world to the city, displaying songs and performances from multiple cultures.

“International bands have come from South Korea, from Colombia, from Chile [and more],” said Isabel Cisterna, the artistic director. “All these bands that are international come all the way from there.”

The festival was created by Neruda Arts, a not-for-profit world music presenter with a focus on sharing international music.

The event also had different activities and workshops, which allowed attendees to learn more about cultural music, instruments and dance.

“We bring the world to Waterloo Region but at the same time, we basically teach people around the world what the context of Canadian art is when you mix different communities together and we collaborate,” said Cisterna.

Cisterna said sharing culture and bringing the world to local communities is important to become more open-minded and experience new cultures.

“I think often we follow this kind of trap of ideas, thinking that we know when we don’t because each country has so many cultural traditions. There’s so many different styles of genres of music,” said Cisterna. “For example, when you have a South Korean band that comes to our festival that actually plays reggae and funk with hints of their traditional music, it really makes us think about ‘what do we know?’”

Alisa Tracey, a local in the area, said she hadn’t heard of the festival prior to Friday’s opening.

“I actually found it by accident,” said Tracey. “I was just taking a walk in Waterloo Park, and then I saw the sign, and then I’m like ‘let’s go.’ I came here last night. I saw a bunch of bands, people were dancing and having fun. It was lively.”

Tracey said she enjoyed the food, vendors and live music on Friday and decided to come back on Saturday.

“Even if you feel shy, just come outside of your comfort zone. I came by myself and I met a bunch of people and I’ve seen people I’ve [met] before. So, just come out,” said Tracey.

The festival runs until Sunday July 13.