International Fair

International Fair (I-Fair) is an annual, week-long event hosted by International Club at Knox College. Traditionally I-Fair occurs during the last week of January, and involves events open to both the Knox campus and the general Galesburg public. While activities vary from year to year, the final day of I-Fair features a lunch provided by international students, cultural and informational booths, and performances in Kresge Theatre.

Week Events

In the past few years, I-Fair has expanded beyond a weekend event to a week-long celebration. Cultural clubs host a number of events during the week to teach about particular traditions or social concerns in foreign countries.

International Fair Lunch

For the I-Fair lunch, students prepare ethnic or cultural dishes that are served to Knox members and Galesburg residents. While some students organize on their own, most participate in cooking as part of a cultural club on campus. Most years provide over 20 dishes that visitors can sample, consisting of appetizers, main courses, and desserts, although there is usually an entrance fee of $5. Students can pile their trays with both exotic and familiar foods, ranging from Mexican tostadas to Vietnamese springrolls.

The three days prior to I-Fair's lunch are often hectic as students gather their cooking supplies and organize for the ambitious undertaking of preparing 150+ servings of food. Because students have to share the same cooking utensils and spaces as Dining Services, the process is often strained by crowding and other problems.

I-Fair Dinner

Since at least I-Fair 2015, dinner has been served rather than lunch in order to allow students to sleep the night before rather than pull all-nighters to prepare food. It's debatable whether changing the meal to dinner rather than lunch has really made I-Fair less hectic, but such is the way of the all encompassing I-Fair.

In 2018, 1350 people were counted as having attended the I-Fair Dinner. (This includes both Knoxies and outside guests - excluding those 3 and under)

Cultural Booths

After the I-Fair lunch, visitors are given the opportunity to visit cultural booths set up around [CFA] Lobby. Each booth displays a number of items from a particular country, including music, books, and games. Sometimes booths have attractions like writing visitors' names in another language. Service and special interest organizations have also participated in this event.

I-Club has recently encouraged cultural clubs to set up booths according to a particular theme.

Afternoon Performances

Saori Moriizumi and Hue Le wear their native clothing during I-Fair 2007.

Parade of Flags

Afternoon performances are preceeded by the Parade of Flags. One student carries the flag of a country they wish to represent, enters the stage, and usually announces the national greeting of the country. Often international students carry their own country's flags, though sometimes students carry flags of countries where they have studied abroad, or countries from which their families have descended.

Main Performance

Each year, I-Club invests in a primary performance for the final day of I-Fair.

Talent Show

The talent show offers an opportunity for students to perform for the Knox campus. In the past there has been a selection process to determine which students will be allowed to perform in the show, due to concerns of time constraints and to make certain students have actual performances prepared. While performances can have a cultural or ethnic influence, the show often welcomes any sort of performance.