The taste of success means a new geographical flavor for the annual Taste of Durham Festival. For its first two years, the festival centered around Brightleaf Square downtown. This year, it's moving to a larger location. "We grew out of it the very first year," Kimberly M. Ruskan said of the Brightleaf area. Ruskan founded a nonprofit, The Community Chest Inc., specifically to put on the cultural event that features wine, beer and food tastings as well as music and dance performances.

The first festival in 2005 drew more than 7,000 people. A year later, 15,000 attended. This year, the event has moved to a 6.7-acre site surrounding Winchester Place, a four- story office building on Emperor Boulevard off Page Road. The larger space will allow for big tents for wine and beer tasting and more seating and umbrella-shaded tables, Ruskan said. More than 60 wines from around the globe will be available to sample at the International Wine Tasting Pavilion. The International Beer Tasting Garden will feature beer from North Carolina's Foothills Brewing and Big Boss Brewing Co. and other places -- including some hard-to-find brews, Ruskan added.

Children can get hands-on cultural and arts experiences thanks to the Nasher Museum of Art, The Scrap Exchange and Ping Fu Presentation of Taiwan and Chinese Culture that will show young people how to make dumplings with Playdough, write Chinese characters and create cut-paper designs.

There's even a kitchenette stage where local chefs will compete, a la the Food Network's "Iron Chef" culinary competition show, and another area for an ice carving competition. "It will be like walking into an affordable Epcot Center," Ruskan said.

Some transplanted Chicago folks at last year's Taste of Durham event said it was cheaper, had better food and shorter lines than the Taste of Chicago event. Food samplings cost from $1 to $5. (You can buy "coins" for $1 each and use the tokens for food, wine and beer.) "We really want to emphasize this is not a buffet," Ruskan said. "It's not these little petri dishes either." But restaurants and other food providers do offer "healthy portions," she added.

The menu reflects Durham's diverse culinary scene from down-home to international. Food samplings include Asian food from Grasshopper, sushi from George's Garage, ribs from Texas Roadhouse, Chicago-style rib tips from Da Gibbsky Windy City Grill, scallops and pizza from Bocci TrattoriaPizzeria, fondue from The Melting Pot, Cajun fare from Cajun Charlie's, traditional Cuban dishes from Carmen's Cuban CafeLounge, Mediterranean dishes from Parizade, and down-home cooking from Dream Dinners. These diverse offerings are just part of the purpose of the event.

"It's a quality, affordable festival for community enrichment," Ruskan said. The purpose is to foster appreciation of diversity and different cultures, she added. "I think it's just a healthy approach for a growing community to be open to diversity," Ruskan said. By diverse, she said, she means not only ethnicity but also people from different places as well as income brackets.

"We want to encourage people to try something new," Ruskan said. That's why every year the festival brings in an all-new lineup of music -- with the exception of accordion player David DiGiuseppe, who is back for the third time. This year's entertainment lineup features 17 bands and 12 other performance groups performing on three stages and a dance platform. New Orleans and other Louisiana sounds will come from the Triangle-based Zydecopious, which plays zydeco and rhythm and blues, while New Orleans' Dirty Dozen Band guitarist Jamie McLean brings his own band to town. Bio Ritmo, a nine-piece salsa band based in Richmond, Va., draws from Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican salsa traditions. Dirty Rice, which originated at Raleigh's Millbrook High School, blends funk, rock and reggae. For a taste of jazz and blues, planners suggest that listeners head for Brazilian Soul, TinyWhitey and Children of the Horn as part of the Performance Showcase lineup. Two side-by-side stages allow for continuous music because groups can be setting up on one stage while other groups perform on the other stage, Ruskan said.

A dance floor in front of the main stage provides a platform for demonstrations of English Country Dance, Irish Step Dance, salsa, tango, belly dance, a traditional Chinese Lion Dance and more. The dancing culminates in participatory line dances. Family entertainment includes the Bouncing Bull Dogs jump rope team and comic magician Tim Dumas.

The Mardi Gras Parade proved so popular last year that it's back this year at 3:15 p.m. -- led by Johnny SketchThe Dirty Notes, a funk-rock band from New Orleans. The band starts the gig with a 3 p.m. performance on the Main Stage. People are encouraged to dress up with hats and masks for the parade, Ruskin said. "It's coordinated but it has room for improvisation," she said.