Best known as an annual fireworks competition, GlobalFest is much more than that. The event, which runs August 11 to 23, includes a film festival, human rights forum, Chinese street festival and a multicultural exposition, dubbed the OneWorld Festival.

In the past, GlobalFest’s main event, its international fireworks competition held at Elliston Park, was a stand-alone event. Attendees who wanted to visit the festival’s other events were forced to travel offsite to Penbrooke Meadows. “It was a little confusing for people coming to the fireworks who were also trying to get to the [other events],” says Amber Mader, the Multi-Cultural and Human Rights Forum co-ordinator for GlobalFest. “Both of them are under the GlobalFest arch, but a lot of people didn’t know. It was inconvenient.”

The logical choice was to bring the two together. Not only is it easier to take in more of the event in one shot now, it has increased the options down at Elliston Park as well. “There’s a lot more to see down at the grounds, which we didn’t have before,” she says. “Now you’re able to see the fireworks and enjoy the whole atmosphere as well.”

The gates will open to 15 different cultural pavilions (including eight offering food) at Elliston park at 5 p.m. on August 15, 17, 19, 21 and 23. “What you’re going to find is that they’re all in one little village,” says Mader. “There’s a community stage in the village as well. Some are doing demonstrations. Some are selling arts and crafts.”

The food portions will be bite-sized, so patrons can try several different cultures’ foods over the course of the evening while awaiting the post-dusk fireworks.

There will also be live entertainment on two stages before the fireworks competition, which starts after sundown at approximately 9:30 p.m. The international fireworks competition includes four competing countries this year, Canada, China, the U.S. and Spain, with the grand finale and awards ceremony on August 23.

While there are some charity parking lots around Elliston Park, located at the corner of 17th Ave. and 60th St. S.E., it’s recommended that you take the shuttle buses, which run to and from Marlborough Mall for a mere $6 round trip. “It’s probably the best way to do it,” says Mader. “Parking is pretty limited on 17th Ave. We’ve got our international café and bar (on the grounds), so you can drink and then take the bus to transit and get home safe.”

The international bar and café offers a chance for people to explore different cultures from another perspective as well. “We’ve got your regular beer, but we’re also doing ‘perogie pounders,’ margaritas and other ethno-cultural drinks.”

After the fireworks, there’s a contingency plan for those who don’t want to fight the crowds to be the first out of the park. “We’ve got a big screen down at Elliston Park, and we’ll be previewing short parts of the [Global FilmFest] films after the fireworks while people are leaving,” says Mader. “Typically, there are about 15,000 people all trying to leave at the same time, so we’ll have some of the film festival videos playing so people don’t have to leave right away, and they can lounge around if they want.

“This year we’ve made it really unique in that everything is combined,” she adds. “We’ve always been a multicultural festival, but the people who generally come for the fireworks — our biggest crowd — never really saw that side. This year it really combines what GlobalFest is all about.”

The Global FilmFest runs August 18 to 22; the human rights forum, held at the Glenbow Museum, is August 11 to 15; and the Chinatown Street Festival is on August 16.

For more information on all events, visit www.GlobalFest.com.