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CoatiaFest, Oct. 1

Seattle Center Festál: CroatiaFest, 12pm – 6pm, Sunday, Oct. 1, in Seattle Center Armory, presents the rich heritage of a small European country. This larger-than-life celebration seeks to underscore the presence and influence of 40,000 people with Croatian ancestry living in our region with a day of absorbing programming, thoughtful exhibits and illuminating activities.

Festivities begin with opening ceremonies at 12 noon in Seattle Center Armory. Following, throughout the afternoon, some of the finest Croatian music and dance ensembles from the United States and Canada will perform traditional music and dance, articulated with exquisite costumes, on the Armory main stage.

Families with children should stop by the Kids Activity Booth on the Armory main floor to join in one of the many available craft projects. Two cooking demonstrations are offered in the new John Sarich Memorial Cooking Stage on the 3rd floor of the Armory, and seven festival food booths feature traditional BBQ lamb on the spit, grilled čevapčići with ajvar (minced meats and roasted eggplant), Croatian style sausages, cheese and meat filled burek, cabbage rolls, povitica (walnut roll) and palacinke (crepes).

Festival-goers 21 years and older may learn about and taste Croatian wines. Tickets may be purchased at the CroatiaFest Information Booth, which also offers a souvenir program, a schedule of the day’s activities and volunteers ready to answer questions. An exquisite travelling photography exhibit, “Hrvatski Svjetionici” (Croatian Lighthouses), features restored lighthouses built between 1818 and 1899 that continue to protect the Dalmatian coastline. There will also be a variety of Croatian goods and souvenirs for purchase.

Seattle Center Festál is a program of Seattle Center Productions. Admission is free-of-charge. For more information on CroatiaFest, visit www.croatiafest.org, and to learn more about this collection of ethnic cultural events and other Seattle Center public programming, visit Seattle Center or call 206-684-7200.