HICKORY — The Community Relations Council will host the third annual Hickory Multicultural Festival from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 25, downtown, the City of Hickory said April 17, 2026.
It starts at 4 p.m. on Union Square with CRC remarks and a Quilt of Valor presentation. The CRC will then name the 2026 Human Relations Awards honorees. The city listed art, music, dance, food, traditions, demonstrations, and local organizations.
Performances listed: Hawaiian dancing by Jingle Enerio de Niet with Hickory Ballet & Performing Arts at 4:30 p.m.; Hmong dancing by Nkauj Hmoob Ntxim Siab at 4:45 p.m.; contemporary line dancing by the Ridgeview Sliders at 5 p.m.; traditional Mexican folk dancing by Dance of the Little Old Men at 5:30 p.m.; Rachael Woodard at 5:45 p.m.; Italian musician Maria Grosso at 6:15 p.m.; and square dancing by Catawba Valley Cloverleaf at 6:30 p.m.
Food trucks are listed in the Lowes Foods City Park parking lot, among them Exodus Dawgs, Southern Spoon, Urban Flavor, CJ’s Pit Smoked Ribs, Crab Shack King, Island Flavor Foods, and Sumtin to Smile About Cakes & Pies. Booths listed include the Guardian ad Litem Program, Greater Hickory International Council, Hickory NAACP, and Catawba Valley Community College.
CRC Chair Phyllis Michaux said the festival “acknowledges the vibrant tapestry of traditions, stories, and identities that unite us as a community.”
Rain moves the festival indoors to Ridgeview Recreation Center, 115 Seventh Avenue SW. Contacts are CRC staff liaison Captain Justin Levey, Hickory Police, at 828-261-2617 or [email protected], and Michaux at 828-962-1371 or [email protected].
The April 17 notice does not list a ticket charge, a vendor-booth fee, or the Human Relations Award winners.
Official release from City of Hickory, April 17, 2026. https://www.hickorync.gov/multicultural-festival-downtown-hickory
