The Texas A&M Department of Multicultural Services, or DMS, gears up to host the biggest multicultural event of the year.

With free merchandise, free food, culture-based activities and the opportunity to watch student groups showcase their talent, the 2022 Fusion Fiesta promises attendees a good time. The event is set to be held in Rudder Plaza from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10. Though funded by DMS, the event is organized by the three cultural umbrella organizations.

Director of Internal Affairs for the Hispanic Presidents’ Council, or HPC, international studies and Spanish junior Anthony Hernandez Escobar is serving as the chair for Fusion Fiesta this year. Escobar explained that the three councils annually traded off who got to host Fusion Fiesta.

“The whole point of the event is to expose Texas A&M, [the] students and community at large, to the diversity that’s present on campus,” Escobar said.

Escobar explained HPC served as the Hispanic community’s voice on the A&M campus. He said attendees could expect the event to be large and varied. With over 30 organizations and departments participating in Fusion Fiesta, the food and activities available are going to be plentiful.

“[The departments and organizations] will each be having their own booth, either demonstrating the culture of a nationality or an ethnic background,” Escobar said.

University studies biomedical sciences junior Khia Shandy is currently Vice President of the Black Student Alliance Council, or BSAC. BSAC is the overarching organization that supports and unifies the Black community on the A&M campus.

“[BSAC] is just an organization that gives Black voices on campus a chance to be heard,” Shandy said.

Shandy explained BSAC was supporting HPC’s hosting of Fusion Fiesta by having representatives manage the event’s food and organizational needs. As the event draws near, Shandy said she was focusing on promoting the event so more students can attend.

“[Fusion Fiesta] is a way for the [three presidential councils] to collaborate,” Shandy said. “There will be different tables so that [attendees] can become more aware of the student population on campus.”

With more performances this year than last, Fusion Fiesta looks forward to highlighting cultural performances from every walk of life. From the Aggieland Mariachi to the Voices of Praise Gospel Choir, event attendees will have the pleasure of witnessing the cultural arts. From the Bangladesh Student Association, or BSA, landscape architecture graduate student Anindeeta Ushashi looks forward to performing a Kathak-esque dance at Fusion Fiesta. She will be using the work of Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh.

“It’s not about pure Kathak. It’s a bit of a fusion,” Ushashi said. “[My performance] matches with what we’re looking for in the title of the program.”

Public Health senior and president of the Asian Presidents’ Council, or APC, Nhu Vo spoke of all the events available at Fusion Fiesta and said students are encouraged to attend. As a Fusion Fiesta marketing team member, she works to promote the event around campus and on social media to as many people as possible.

“People who are [open] to learn about all of our different cultures [should attend],” Vo said. “Everybody is welcome.”