City Streets Festival

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Sunday, April 21, 2024 • 6-8 PM

What is City Streets Festival?

Occurring annually in the spring, City Streets Festival is an Amherst College campus celebration of international heritage, culture, and food from around the world. This year’s festival will feature an extensive menu, as well as a fire dance performance, live music, outdoor games, and more.

The vibrant flag display at City Streets is a beloved tradition. It celebrates the cultural heritage and identities of our diverse campus community and includes representation of countries, sovereign states, and Indigenous nations and tribes. Importantly, the display is not an endorsement of the beliefs, values, or actions associated with any flag. For a list of this year’s flags and to suggest a flag that has meaning for you, visit amherst.edu/go/flags.

Students, faculty, staff, and their families are invited!

Sponsored by the Office of the President

Tell me more about the food!

A highlight of City Streets Festival is the opportunity to sample cuisine from around the world. The menu varies from year to year. This year’s menu includes:

Kenya (provided by Dining Services)

• Nyama Choma — Marinated beef cooked over charcoal 
• Smocha — All beef “Smokies”  with traditional tomato and onion salad wrapped in a Kenyan Flatbread
• Beef Samosa and Curried Vegetable Samosa 
• Mandazi — Kenyan fried sweet bread 

Japan (provided by Dining Services)

• Takoyaki — Crispy Octopus fritter with kewpie mayo, takoyaki sauce and shredded nori
• Yakisoba — Traditional stir fried noodle dish with soba-wheat noodles, napa cabbage, onions, carrots, bean sprouts with a sweet and savory sauce.
• Sushi —
  • Shrimp Tempura Roll 
  • Sweet Potato Roll (Vegan)
• Green Tea Cookies with Candied Ginger 

Cuba (provided by Dining Services)

• Pan con Lechón — Roasted Pork sandwich with butter, onions and mojo sauce
• Tostones — Thick sliced green plantains deep fried and flattened, then fried again. Served with cilantro lime crema (contains dairy) or mojo sauce (Vegan)
• Flan Cubano — Cuban baked custard with caramel sauce
• Guarapo de Cana — Signature Cuba Street sugar cane juice beverage

Italy (provided by Dining Services)

• Fried Calamari with Calabrese Peppers — Breaded and fried squid, tossed with spicy Italian peppers and lemon
• Fritto Misto di Verdure — Battered and fried mixed vegetables (Vegetarian) 
• Cannoli — a Sicilian fried tube shaped pastry filled with a sweet ricotta cream
• Pellegrino Sodas

Philippines (provided by Ginger Love Cafe: Easthampton, MA)

• Pork siopao — Filipino style steamed bun stuffed with ground pork, paprika, brown sugar, black pepper, seasonings
• Vegetable noodles — A combination of glass and egg noodles sautéed with mixed vegetables (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Korea (provided by Sun Kim Bop: Petersham, MA)

• Tteokbokki — Sweet and spicy string rice cakes (Gluten-Free)
• Kimbap — 
  • Traditional: Rice and dried seaweed roll with sausage, fish cakes, eggs, pickled radish, cucumber, and carrots
  • Veggie: Rice and dried seaweed roll with pickled radish, cucumber, and carrots (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Kimchi — Pickled cabbage with red pepper flakes, garlic, spring onions, and ginger (Gluten-Free, Vegetarian option)

New Mexico (provided by Papi’s Stuffed Sopapillas: Needham, MA)

• Steak and Cheese Sopapillas — Grilled steak, caramelized onions, peppers, and house slaw with cheese and homemade Papi sauce 
• Sauteed Veggie Sopapillas — Sautéed mushrooms, broccoli, red peppers, onions, and spinach with homemade Papi sauce (Vegetarian) 
• S’mores Sopapillas — Melty chocolate, whipped Fluff and cinnamon toast crunch

Sri Lanka (provided by Island Spice: Chicopee, MA)

• Blazing Potatoes — Potatoes cooked in a mix of banana peppers, red onion, and traditional Sri Lankan spices. Served over a bed of basmati rice (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Blazing Chicken — Chicken cooked in a mix of banana peppers, red onion, and traditional Sri Lankan spices. Served over a bed of basmati rice

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Inspired by the traditional drum rhythms of Ghana, Kotoko Brass has created a unique, joyful, and improvisational style of West African dance music described by the BostonGlobe as “propulsive, infectious party music”. The drums provide the heart and soul of Kotoko Brass — merging syncopated African percussion polyrhythms with hard-hitting dance grooves on the drumset. The horns blend traditional sounds of New Orleans with the famous West African brass band sound heard from Ghana to Nigeria, and the guitar, keys, and bass evoke classic African and Caribbean styles of highlife, afrobeat, and reggae. A celebratory and energetic synthesis of music, people, and cultures from around the world, Kotoko Brass features musicians from Ghana, Antigua, Japan, and the United States playing together in unity. Kotoko Brass has shared the stage with An-gelique Kidjo, Red Baraat, Femi Kuti, the California Honeydrops, Vieux Farka Toure, In-nov Gnawa, Take 6, the Boston Pops, Rubblebucket, and more.