This year’s International Night will feature performances from various countries and regions including Sri Lanka, Malaysia, China, Puerto Rico and Russia. The African Students Association will perform African dances; Turkish dances will also take place at the event, along with two well-known Indian dances, Chakras and Bhangra.

International Night will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday and continue until 10 p.m. in the Memorial Union’s Great Hall. International Students Council presents International Night as an annual festival promoting Iowa State’s diversity.

International Night is at the climax of International Week, which has so far included events such as the International Bazaar, a scavenger hunt and International Movie Night. The week comes to a close Saturday with its final event, the “12-hour famine” at the Memorial Union.

Many students and organizations around campus have participated in the events so far; the International Bazaar brought nine different student organizations and around 200 participating students.

International Night in the previous years has been marked particularly by its cultural dances and colorful fashion customs.

“International Night promotes a lot of the different cultures and traditions from all over the world,” said Jia Yi Liew, co-chairwoman of ISC and International Bazaar. “We are bringing this to the ISU international community so people will have a better understanding of the diversity on campus … In addition, it brings everybody closer together.”

Along with various dances, the event will provide food, music, singing, dancing, poetry, fashion shows and videos representing the different cultures. Scholarships and other awards also will be presented at the event.

“All the different student associations put in a lot of effort in promoting International Night, so I think everybody on campus should come and join us for this special night,” Liew said.