International flavor filled the air of downtown Bryan on Saturday as cultures from around the world gathered at Worldfest -- a first-time event intended to showcase diverse talents, foods and ways of life.

More than 3,000 people attended the free event, visiting the 30 booths that each highlighted a different country or culture. The elaborate set-ups included India, China, Ecuador, Indonesia and more.

"I think this is a really great event because it gives us a chance to learn from all the international students that come to school here," said College Station resident Georgia Hogan, who was attending the event with her husband.

Linda Edwards, a member of the event's board of directors, said the day went off better than she could have imagined.

"It's been phenomenal," she said. "We had more than 220 people volunteer to help out, and we've had many generous donations from businesses across Bryan-College Station."

Many of the booths on display were assembled by international organizations at Texas A&M to help educate the public about their homelands and cultures.

The Chi Alpha World Fellowship organization represented the country of Chile. Its members handed out native Chilean kites and displayed paper volcanoes with soap suds shooting out as lava. The displays were intended to teach children about the volcanic activity on the Chilean coast.

"It's really neat to see all the cultures come together," said Chi Alpha president Keila Perez. "This is a fun chance for kids to come and experience things they've probably never seen before."

Rosemary Neyin and Tutu Ajayi, international students from Nigeria, said they attended as spectators and participants.

"We are here to promote education about Africa, but in the same respect, we are learning about other cultures as well," Neyin said. "Here, everyone gets to try and experience things they never would on a daily basis."

There was also a World Stage with shows highlighting different areas of the world, including German and Czech dance groups, a Japanese Drum group, a tae kwon do demonstration and an international fashion show.

The concept of Worldfest launched from International Education Week at Texas A&M, said Edwards, who works for the university's International Outreach.

"We helped a bunch of the organizations plan their own little things, but afterwards they came to us and expressed interest in coming together in a big group and showcasing their cultures together," she said. "Thus, Worldfest was born."

Organizers said they are already planning next year's event, which also is expected to take place the Saturday before Thanksgiving in downtown Bryan.

• Travis Measley's e-mail address is travis.measley@theeagle.com.

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