PEABODY — While Peabody’s famed International Festival was rained out in 2023, the event will return downtown this fall on Sunday, Sept. 15 — with a rain date of Sunday, Sept. 22.
“The International Festival is Peabody’s signature community event and the biggest party on the North Shore,” Mayor Ted Bettencourt said in a statement Wednesday. “It is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our ethnic and cultural diversity through food, art and entertainment.”
Marking its 39th year, the festival will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. along Main Street and several side streets.
Local vendors will sell food from around the world. Think of dishes like Polish pierogis, Brazilian pastries and Japanese sushi.
Art by North Shore residents will be featured in the Galleria Tent on Foster Street, where the Creative Collective will also host an artisan’s market full of small businesses from around the region.
Ethnic dance troupes and music groups will entertain crowds at two stages. A kid’s corner will be held at the East End Veteran’s Memorial Park on Walnut Street, featuring kid-friendly music, arts and crafts, moon bounces, a magician and dancers throughout the festival.
The Progeria Research Foundation will host its annual International Race for Research 5K and 2-mile fun run/walk on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 9 a.m. Same-day registration will begin at the Leather City Common on Lowell Street at 7:45 a.m.
North Shore Bank is once again the festival’s title sponsor. For more sponsorship opportunities and information about the festival, visit ifestpeabody.com.