Nassau music festival begins this weekend

Nassau County is kicking off a month-long music festival celebrating ethnic diversity this weekend at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow.

The festival was set to start Friday night with an event dedicated to South-Asian Americans. The celebration continues Saturday with a Bangladeshi theme and Sunday with Chinese-American Night, according to the county Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums.

The free events start at about 7 p.m. at the park's Lakeside Theatre.

The Chinese-American program includes lion dancing, acrobatic acts, opera singing and an orchestra featuring traditional Chinese instruments. There will also be a "face-changer" -- an expert performer of a dramatic art that consists of quickly changing masks, as if by magic.

"We want everybody to come, not just Chinese-Americans," said Helen Chin, president of the Chinese Center on Long Island. "When you get together and you enjoy the performing arts you really don't need language to express who you are."

The 2011 International Music Nights festival has celebrations scheduled for Polish-Americans on June 9; Greek-Americans on June 10; Pakistani-Americans on June 11; and Latino-Americans on June 12. The full calendar can be found online at nassaucountyny.gov/parks.