TOLEDO—The 35th Annual Birmingham Ethnic Festival is to be held Aug. 16 on the streets of the old Hungarian neighborhood in East Toledo. The festival begins at noon on Consaul Street in the middle of the  Birmingham neighborhood and continues until 9 p.m.

Pre-festival events include the 14th Annual Waiter’s Race at 7 p.m. Aug. 15 on Consaul Street. In the European tradition, teams of wait staff from neighborhood taverns and non-profit organizations compete in a relay race. Following the Waiter’s Race, guests can enjoy a celebration of Hungarian Folk Dance and music at Foklor Tanchaz from 5 to 11 p.m. at Calvin Church’s parking lot. Hungarian food, including gulyas soup and palacsinta (Hungarian crepes) and a beer garden round out the evening. VFW Post 4906 is having a fish fry that day as well.

The kickoff for the festival begins with opening ceremonies at noon Aug. 16, on the steps of Toledo St. Stephen, followed by a parade down the Festival Mall.

Visitors can choose from a huge variety of foods at the festival. St. Stephen, the Hungarian Club of Toledo and Calvin United Church of Christ feature famous chicken paprikas, kaposta galuska and kolbasz dinners along with Hungarian pastries, paprikas noodles and gravy, kolbasz sandwiches, stuffed cabbages and szalonna sütes. VFW Post 4906 serves shish kabob, pigs-in-a-blanket, bratwurst, corn on the cob, and szalonna sütes. Patrons can also choose from street vendor fare.

Entertainment is provided by the Pál Family Orchestra from Hungary, among others. The Pál Family Orchestra Concerts offers musical experiences venturing into traditional authentic village music and popular Hungarian music in the “Gypsy” tradition, with a touch of choral works and samplings of appropriate classical music.

Sponsors of the Birmingham Festival include title sponsors Budweiser and the William Penn Association. Admission is free. Street parking is available on the perimeter of the neighborhood bounded by Front, York and Wheeling streets. Handicapped parking is available in the lot behind the fire station at Consaul and Front streets.

For more information, visit www.birminghamethnicfestival.org.