- June 21, 2025
A new festival is coming to Ormond Beach, one looking to put diversity and culture on display through music, food and dance.
The Ormond Beach International Day Festival will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, at Rockefeller Gardens, located at 25 Riverside Drive. The free festival will represent 18 countries in total and will feature a Flag Day ceremony at noon to pay tribute to the American flag, followed by a parade of flags. The first musical act will take the stage at 12:15 p.m., and they will run continuously through the end of the event. There will also be a DJ, a petting zoo and face painting.
The festival is the brainchild of William Sanchez, an Ormond Beach resident who previously served on the Cultural Council of Volusia County. As a former resident of South Florida, one of the things Sanchez said he missed most was being surrounded by diversity.
"But Ormond Beach has diversity," Sanchez said. "There's plenty of it. It's just not really apparent."
Last year, Sanchez had a conversation with Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie during a holiday party and mentioned the idea of having an international festival in town. Leslie connected him with Ormond MainStreet and Maria Trent, with the Volusia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Sanchez took the idea from there.
He has never organized a festival, but with the help of many volunteers, Sanchez said he is very proud of what they have all accomplished. Groups including the Hungarian Heritage Home of Ormond Beach, the Iranian American Society of Daytona Beach are contributing to the festival for free because they see the value in celebrating diversity, Sanchez said. He also formed his own nonprofit, The Cultural Awareness Fund, to present the festival and raise awareness of local culture.
"A lot of groups are just happily providing their efforts because they see the value in celebrating diversity, not just the differences among us," Sanchez said. "... I think we are all part of the great American experiment, which is this melting pot — this great melting pot in this country, and everybody just bought into that."
Introducing people to the different cultures existing in the area helps people get a greater sense of community and promotes understanding, Sanchez added.
The idea for the festival was to cultivate an appreciation of culture, which he believes will help the country go back to its former glory. As a former Scout, it was important to him to showcase the U.S. in the festival, and in addition to the singing of the national anthem, the Ormond Beach Civil Air Patrol honor guard will present the colors during the ceremony.
Sanchez is a first generation American, of Colombian descent. Growing up, many children of immigrants wonder where they belong, he said. As a child, Sanchez said he did everything as a "full-blooded American."
"I think people have forgotten what this country was built on — the foundation of it," Sanchez said. "It was built on the backs of immigrants, all of us. Whether it was 250 years ago or it is today."
