Helena United Festival showcases Helena’s vast diversity

Published 1:22 pm Friday, May 2, 2025

By Tyler Raley

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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

HELENA – As warm temperatures filled the air and music and cultural demonstrations set the scene, the Helena Diversity and Inclusion Board held its annual Helena United Festival on Saturday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Helena Amphitheater.

The Helena United Festival is an annual event designed to showcase the diversity of the Helena community. According to a Diversity and Inclusion Board member, Rachel Han, the Helena United Festival is a natural continuation of the board’s mission.

“The goal of our Diversity and Inclusion Board is to get people more aware of their diverse surroundings,” Han said. “There is a wide range of people that live in Helena. We want to make people more aware that there are different cultures, different people and different beliefs.”

Throughout the entire event, guests could wander past local vendor booths and food trucks. Parents could enjoy their purchases while dipping their toes in Buck Creek while their children played on inflatable bounce houses.

At staggered times during the festival, attendees halted their shopping and gathered around the stage for various showcases. During the opening hours, Aastha’s Bollywood Dancers provided passionate dances before giving way to the Mexican folk dancers Ballet Folklorico St. Thomas.

Later in the afternoon, attendees earned the opportunity to go back to an old-time popular party game in doing the limbo, where guests could test how low they could go under a bar in order to earn cash money that was taped to it.

At 1:30 p.m., Luther the line-dancing grandpa showcased interactive entertainment portion of the festival where guests could participate in and learn new line dances as part of their fun afternoon, before local artist Caleb Orr provided a live music performance at 2 p.m.

According to the event organizers, the performances may have stolen the show, but the best part of the event was witnessing the community of Helena gathered to celebrate.

Following another year of success with the event, the Diversity and Inclusion Board hopes that the fun from this year’s festivities will carry into next year’s edition of the Helena United Festival, trying to make it increasingly popular with each year that passes.

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