For some, one of the best parts of Festival International is the shopping.
Vendors who come to town hail from all over the country and all over the world, and many of them return year after year.
"The spirit of this place is pretty high and pretty friendly and we like that," says Thom Mond. He and his wife haven’t missed a Festival International in 15 years, driving from Maine every year to be here.
"From a commercial perspective people at festival really respond to what we bring here and it’s a good financial weekend for us, but also it’s the spirit of the place that we take back with us to New England," says Mond.
Mond’s tent on Vermilion Street sells printed organic cotton clothing. On the same stretch, you’ll see African art, one-of-a-kind jewelry from Europe, antiques from around Louisiana, and from a bit farther south, handmade women’s and children’s clothing.
"We have all handmade items from Ecuador and Peru," says Anita Vivanco, who has been coming to Festival with her family for about fifteen years. Her family, from Quito, Ecuador, sells embroidered and crochet clothing as well as traditional South American toys and trinkets.
Vivanco says even when she is busy working, she likes that she can still take part in some of the Festival International fun.
"The foods really good, the music’s good as well. Sometimes I can hear it from the side and enjoy it," says Vivanco.
