Arab American Festival is downtown Saturday

Staff report

youngstown

Middle Eastern music, food and merchandise will be featured at the second annual Arab American Festival of Youngstown that will open at 10 a.m. Saturday and close at 1 a.m. Sunday on West Federal Street.

Singer Tony Mikhael will be the featured performer.

Also performing will be the Dabke Group, dancers.

Food vendors will include Downtown Circle, Eli tooma Bakery, Middle Eastern Sweets and Mary’s, Elham and Zanobia restaurants.

Among specialties available will be falafel, hummus, tabuli, gyro, shawerma and lamb and rice dishes.

A Middle Eastern-themed bazaar will offer souvenirs and other merchandise.

There will be belly dancing and traditional dabke dancing, which is an Arab folk line dance popular in Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Bosnia, Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Henna tattoos also will be available.

There will be children’s games.

The festival is sponsored by the city of Youngstown, Sled Co. and Robert L. Lipton Distributing Co.

Admission is free.