The Albany Cultural Festival celebrates the city’s cultural diversity

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – On Sunday, the Albany Civic Center became the Albany Cultural Festival. Many residents attended the event to celebrate the city’s rich cultural diversity.

The festival was organized by Pillars Initiative, a 501-(c)(3) nonprofit organization in North Georgia. The Pillars Initiative was tasked and funded by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to provide wellness festivals across the state.

The festival celebrated diversity and allowed the community to come together to focus on mental health and well-being.

“This is the first multicultural festival in Albany. We are here to provide connection and integration between the community. Our goal is addiction prevention, mental health promotion and suicide awareness. We believe that by bringing communities together, we can overcome some of these isolating issues,” said Tiffany Cuthbert, executive director of the Pillars Initiative.

The festival was completely free and featured musical guests, cultural vendors and local food trucks. Participants were also offered massages, guided meditation and participation in a raffle. There were even attractions for children.

“We want to make sure everyone feels seen in some aspect of this festival. That’s why we try to highlight all the diversity and culture within the Albany community,” Cuthbert said.

In between live cultural performances, there was a short fireside chat hosted by local organizations. This panel spoke about the importance of mental health while raising awareness of drug and alcohol abuse and suicide prevention.

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