GlobalFest 2014 was a blast. For those who don’t know too much about the event, GlobalFest is a not-for-profit that produces an inclusive, world class, multi-faceted arts and culture festival that celebrates and showcases cultural diversity and artistic excellence within Calgary and across the globe. In addition, GlobalFest is a 5-day event with each day representing a set country. This year, the first country was Japan, followed by Thailand, Vietnam, France, and the finale; but this event is so special because at the end of each day, fireworks are shot at the end of each day to light up the night.
Although I had never volunteered with Globalfest or been to the event in the past, this year I had the opportunity to go to GlobalFest as a volunteer. I worked under the operations and had a wonderful experience. I was led by my wonderful leader (Scott) and on each day, I was assigned a different job. On the opening day of the event, I came along with my friends and we were assigned to be at the gate entrance to hand out programs of the event. On the second and third day, my friends and I were placed in the handicapped area of the park. On the fourth, we were assigned to be at the gates, but this time we were taking the attendees tickets. On the day of the finale, we were assigned at the gates to hand out programs.
That might sound quite boring, but these jobs do not really completely characterize my experience at Globalfest. The jobs my friends and I were assigned usually ran from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and as a result, we were all tired. But to be honest,  it was not a complete loss because not only did we have the opportunity to volunteer with new people, but we also had the chance to volunteer with each other. In addition, our working shifts usually came with a 2o-30 minute break in which we had the time to buy food in the event, go explore the numerous cultural pavilions, or even attain free stuff from several tents that were advertising. Just reminiscing on what happened at the event, I recall that one of my friends who volunteered just went through each tent collecting free stuff – that made my day. More importantly, we usually had enough time to gather together to take pictures and record the amazing fireworks presentation that left in me in awe.
Out of the five days, my favourite were France and the Finale. During France, I was assigned to be at the gate entrance collecting people’s tickets. The gate entrance was so unpredictable because at a moment, there were would be no one coming into the event and in another there would be a flood of people. At first I was not to sure about this position because I did not know what to really expect from it but in the end, I loved working in this area because it was unpredictable. The finale was also my favourite because  since it was the last day, there was a flood of people that came into the event. In addition, the fireworks on this day was spectacular and to be honest, blew my mind away.
I’m not completely sure of how other volunteers found the event, but my friends and I believe it was great and recommend it to anyone who loves to experience new cultures and fireworks.
Photos of the fireworks:
