Beverly Hills’ new cultural festival will be held at the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market on March 12 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. (photo courtesy of the city of Beverly Hills)

On March 12, the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market will come alive with food, arts and crafts from across the world during the inaugural Festival Beverly Hills. As the Arts and Culture Commission’s new signature event, the festival aims to celebrate the diversity of cultures among Beverly Hills visitors and residents, recreation services manager Ben Johnson said.

“I think it’s a great way to showcase our city and our focus that we really want to have on culture and diversity,” Mayor Lili Bosse added during the Feb. 7 City Council study session.

Working with vendors who normally set up at the market, organizers will elevate the atmosphere, Johnson said. Attendees can participate in workshops such as Latinx print making and Persian spice making, dance to music by a Thai DJ and watch a choreographed dance that blends Jewish and Persian traditions, he added. The festival will run from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and include programs tailored to children, he said. Held the same day as the Academy Awards, the festival will include an Oscars-inspired food competition among Beverly Hills Unified School District students, according to a staff report.

Children will also receive a “passport” they will fill with stamps from vendors and workshops across the festival. Once their passports are full, the children will receive a globally-inspired recipe book as a prize, Johnson added.

“We are very excited about our city having a cultural festival,” Bosse said. “We feel this is something that’s a huge priority to all of us, and we are hoping to see it grow and grow and grow.”