Orlando’s FusionFest celebrates culture, community and the power of showing up

Credit: Matt Keller Lehman

“When I saw people gathering together and sharing these cultural, artistic, community experiences, I really felt that this was the place that I wanted to be,” says FusionFest executive director María Fernanda Saavedra.

And indeed, FusionFest succeeds because it imparts a sense of belonging to all present. Beyond borders and nations, at its best FusionFest demonstrates that all cultures have a place in Orlando’s ever-growing community through direct connection.

Eight years since it debuted downtown, FusionFest returns to the Dr. Phillips Center’s Seneff Arts Plaza with its mission unchanged: Celebrate the cultures that shape Orlando through their food, dance, music, art and storytelling.

FusionFest didn’t begin in a boardroom. It began in living rooms, community gatherings and conversations among neighbors as Orlando’s population exploded with new residents from across the globe. “We wanted to put together a nice space that everybody felt included in. I think that’s one of the big successes about this festival, that this festival is for everybody,” Saavedra says.

What started as a generous handful of participants has since grown into a sprawling, collaborative event involving artists, performers, nonprofits and international organizations. This expansion hasn’t been a smooth climb. FusionFest, like many arts organizations, has faced a year that Saavedra describes as “one of the hardest yet.”

“This has been a very difficult year, not just for FusionFest, but for arts and culture, social services, and all kinds of organizations that sustain themselves by grants,” Saavedra says. “We’re just trying hard, like every other organization, to keep it going.”

Even amidst adversity there have been positives — collaborations with the Orlando Museum of Art, expanded community partnerships and the recent exhibition at Orlando International Airport featuring 10 visual artists, Art of Joy.

“FusionFest is not a one-person organization,” Saavedra says. “It’s many people. We all contribute in different ways.”

One program very close to Saavedra’s heart is the Migration Films project. “We pair one member of the community with one filmmaker and create these five-minute short films,” she says. “It shows how we are so alike and so different at the same time.”

Saavedra says her own story mirrors that of many participants.

“I am part of FusionFest because I felt that my country — I’m from Colombia — [should be] represented somewhere,” she explains. “Not just among Colombians, but in the community.”

Amid contentious national debates over diversity and inclusion, Saavedra believes FusionFest’s mission is unchanged and resolute. “Diversity is the future. Inclusion is the key. And the world needs unity,” she says.

This year’s festival features new additions, including a “Joyful Tent” presented by Joyful Orlando with Global Peace Film Festival 360, offering cross-cultural mental wellness and consciousness practices. Families can enjoy arts and crafts at a kids’ area, and there will even be a goat-petting zone (a unifier if there ever was one).

“Don’t stay home,” Saavedra says. “Come to FusionFest. Bring your kids. Bring your friends. This festival is for everybody.”

And for anyone who shows up, she promises real human connection, stripped of social media fog. “When you see all kinds of flags, colors and countries being represented, it makes a true statement that we genuinely want to be part of this organization,” she says. “Every time is a learning experience for me. It adds value to your life.”

(FusionFest: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29-30; Seneff Arts Plaza, Dr. Phillips Center, 445 S. Magnolia Ave.; fusionfest.org; free)

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Orlando’s FusionFest celebrates culture, community and the power of showing up

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