First Arab Texas Festivals brings in over 7,000. Event raised donations for Hurricane Harvey victims

posted on: Sep 12, 2017

SOURCE: MESQUITE NEWS

BY  ANNY SIVILAY

The first Arab Texas Festival in the DFW area was a success bringing in guests from across the state and some from out of state. This event was held at Double D Ranch on Sunday and hosted by the Arab American Cultural Society (AACS).

Originally, the festival’s coordinator had anticipated around 4,000 guests coming in from all over the country but surpassed that with over 7,000 attendees.

“It went really well, better than we expected,” said Hassan Bawab, Arab Cultural Society managing director.

Despite the positive feedback they received, Bawab said there were areas they could have done better and plan to improve on for next time.

“We had people from different states say it was very organized and professional, but (next time) we’ll focus on how we can fix the small things like have more activities for the kids and more lighting at night to provide security because it’s such a big place,” he said.

The festival had a variety of entertainment for children including games, rides and a petting zoo. There were also several contests including a dance contest for kids, falafel eating competition and Kousa carving competition, and more.

The AACS were also collecting donations for those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

According to AACS, there are over 250,000 Arab-Americans currently living in the DFW area, and this event gave everyone in the community and surrounding communities a chance to learn and experience a piece of Arab culture.

AACS is a nonprofit organization that serves to strengthen, and support the Arab American interests in the United States.