Area residents can celebrate international cultures and food Saturday night at the third annual FEASTival, produced by the Meridian Arts and Community Events Society.

A family-friendly event, FEASTival will take place from 4:30-7 p.m. Saturday on Front Street by the Meridian Railroad Museum. Tickets are $20 if purchased online before Thursday night or $25 the night of the event. Admission for children under age 12 is free.

“Our mission with ACES is to improve the quality of life in Meridian through arts and creative cultural events,” said ACES President Mark Davis.

FEASTival, started in 2022, is a way for ACES to bring attention to the diverse international cuisine found in Meridian, he said.

Ticket holders get the chance to sample food bites from Mexican, Chinese, Jamaican, Italian, Indian, Thai, Japanese and German dishes. They also will get a chance to shop at a wide variety of vendors set up in the festival’s Artisan Food Marketplace, including Sippsi Tea, The Ferry Best Breads, Robin’s Kitchen Jams & Jellies, Bird’s Heirloom Plants with syrups, herbal remedies and other apothecary, Wild Crumb Bakery, O, That’s Good! sweets and Flora’s Sweets roasted nuts.

Terry Cherry & The Bigger Band will provide entertainment for the night, and some type of children’s activity is planned. Mitchell Distributing and Magnolia Beverage also will be on hand.

New to this year’s event and one of the highlights will be a waiters race. Four teams of two waiters each will see how good they are about keeping their beverages from spilling as they race against each other, Davis said.

To purchase tickets for FEASTival or for more information, visit the ACES website at acesmeridian.org.