The Journey of Culture, Part 1: The Silk Road: Bothell Cultural Night

Friday, July 28th | 6 – 9 p.m. | City Hall Plaza & 101st Ave NE

Event Overview: The Journey of Culture, Part 1: The Silk Road

Incorporating the tenets of our 2023 Cultural Focus, Lagom, NW Folklife presents “The Journey of Culture.” Lagom, a Scandinavian term, specific to Swedish culture, signifies balance. Not too much, not too little, just right. To find that balance requires adjustment and acclimatization to your surroundings and the people you encounter along the way. That balance is a journey.  

The global evolution and expansion of cultural ideas and expressions are, in no small part, a by-product of commerce, trade routes, and people’s capacity and energies to swap, barter, and exchange goods and services. These transactions weren’t limited to commodities but necessarily included dialogue in music, language, art, and dance.

The Silk Road, which stretched from China to the Mediterranean Sea, connecting myriad cultures through the Eurasian continent, was one of the first transnational trade routes connecting people from vastly disparate lands and cultures. Join us for an evening that celebrates the merging and mixing of cultures across lands far and wide as we bring music, craft, and food from across the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe.  

Performances on July 28th, 2023 will include:

• Inochi Taiko (Japan Taiko Drumming)
• ZJE Music (Mongolian Multi-Instrumental Musical Band)
• Alefba Choir (Iranian Choir)
• George Sadak Band (Egyptian Tabla Player – Dumbek)
• Bulgarian Voices of Seattle Women’s Choir. (Bulgarian Choir)
• Oleaje Flamenco (Flamenco Music and Dance)

Vendors on July 28th, 2023 will include:

AlFarid Handmade Accessories, Celestial Attire, Dyme Designs, Emmila, Hana Naturals, Lunaraya, Mazart Gallery, Nature’s Element Co., Nísh René LLC, Oddleee Enuff by Sylvia, Patisserie De Zee, Reham’s Cake Gallery, Silkin, The Lucky Charm, Tresses Essentials, and Zahira Studio.

• Free Community Event
• There is provided outdoor seating; bringing low-back chairs is welcomed.
• There will be performances, vendors, and activities.
• Parking: There is a public gravel parking lot on the corner of SR522 & Bothell Way NE, and there is free public parking at the City Hall Parking Garage. Additional free street parking throughout Downtown Bothell.
• Venue Address: 18415 101st Ave NE, Bothell, WA 98011
• Event Space: Bothell City Hall Plaza and 101st Ave NE

Information is to be announced in the coming weeks for our August 18th Cultural Night. Each cultural night will have live performances, vendors, and activities. Details will be released as finalized.