In the weeks to come, Cornell may seem even more cosmopolitan than usual. International Festival is upon us, this year with the theme "United Colors of Cornell."

"International Festival is a chance for the Cornell and Ithaca communities to gather together to experience a variety of international cultures and for students to share a part of their country's heritage with each other," said Sarah Vanderslice, vice president for public relations of the International Student Program Board, the umbrella organization for the many groups organizing the festival. She noted that Cornell currently has 2,609 international students and 1,446 international teaching and research scholars.

Festival events are listed below. Several require registration or tickets: to register, obtain tickets or get more information on any event, stop by the International Students and Scholars Office, Room B50 Caldwell Hall or contact Sarah Vanderslice at 255-5243 or by e-mail at <sgv1@cornell.edu>. You also can visit the ISPB home page on the World Wide Web at .

• Thursday, April 3: Flag Painting at the Big Red Barn, 3 -- 6 p.m. Come for coffee, food and to paint your country's flag on the festival banner.
• Saturday, April 5: Malaysian Night, One World Room, Anabel Taylor Hall. Food tasting at 7 p.m., followed by show at 8 p.m. Tickets for food are $4; China Night, Bailey Hall, 7 p.m.; show will include the Beijing Acrobats, Kung Fu demonstrations, traditional dances and a play.
• April 5 -- 14: Festival Grande, over a week of events, including food tastings, films, guest lectures, dance concerts and more; call the Latin American Studies Program, (607) 255-3455, for more information.
• Sunday, April 6: Soccer Tournament, Alumni Fields, 9:30 a.m. -- 6:30 p.m.; team registration required.
• Thursday, April 10: Food Tasting, Biotechnology Building Auditorium, 7 p.m. This is always one of the festival's most popular events. Register to serve food.
• Friday, April 11: Persian Backgammon Tournament, Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room, 2--5 p.m.
• Saturday, April 12: Model United Nations and ISPB present a United Nations simulation; Myron Taylor Hall, 9 a.m. -- 6 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 16: Dance Debut, performances begin at 7: 30 p.m. in the Statler Hotel Auditorium, coffee and desserts afterwards.
• Friday, April 18: Exhibition in the Memorial Room of Willard Straight Hall, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Also, Indian classical music concert with sitar by Sri Budhaditya Mukherjee, Anabel Taylor Hall, time TBA; for information on the concert, send e-mail to <mitra@cs.cornell.edu>.
• Saturday, April 19: Filipino Night, dinner 5 - 7 p.m., show 8 - 10 p.m., One World Room, Anabel Taylor Hall. Dinner is $10. Second Annual Ballroom Dance Competition, including Brazilian Samba, Cuban Rumba, Spanish Paso Doble, Viennese Waltz, Argentine Tango and more; Field House, 8 a.m. -- midnight.