CCMS at the Concord Multicultural Festival

Visit the CCMS booth at the Concord Multicultural Festival on Sunday, September 24, 2023. Learn more about our programs, including impromptu demos and mini-classes.

NH’s Diverse Background:
New Hampshire has a rich history of diverse cultures. From the Pennacook Tribe of the Abenaki to the British who were the first to settle here; quarry workers and their families who immigrated from Quebec, French Canadians who were drawn to Concord for the chance to cut rock for our railroad station, and the Swedes and Italian stonecutters who joined them. When Concord was designated a refugee resettlement city in the 1990’s, the first group of newcomers arrived from Croatia, Kosovo, Ukraine, Bosnia, and Indonesia, followed by refugees from Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, and Nepal, of Bhutanese descent, and later, African refugees, primarily from Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as Syria and the Rohingya from Myanmar (formerly Burma). Today, New Hampshire is home to many other cultures and ethnicities, and becoming more diverse every day. The contributions of the many ethnicities in New Hampshire are invaluable. See a timeline of immigration in NH: https://welcomingnh.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Timeline8-FINAL3.jpg

About the Concord Multicultural Festival:
Each year, the Concord Multicultural Festival features a full lineup of performances, food vendors, craft vendors, artists, activities, and a parade of flags representing more than 70 cultures from around the world, presented by folks who live and work locally. Everyone is welcome to share their culture and traditions – whether you just arrived in the past few years, or your family has been here for generations! For details and schedule of activities, visit the CMF website .