Otago University Students' Association international officer Umi Asaka said this was the third year the Cultural Carnival event was being held.
The event was happening this year on Sunday, July 22, from 11am-3pm.
She hoped the event would attract families and the wider community, not just staff and students at the university.
Fellow student Sabrina Alhady, from Malaysia, said the day was "always a big event for everyone".
"We have a little passport system. It's like the whole world."
Groups who would be involved in the event included the Otago Muslim Student Association, Sri Lankan Students Association, Korean Students Association and African Students Association.
Each group would have their own stall and space to perform, and people would get the chance to interact with groups and learn what they were about, rather than just watching them, Ms Asaka said.
There were about 2000 international students at the University of Otago, and they came from 100 different countries.
"We are becoming a more culturally diverse city," Ms Asaka said.
People who attended could go in the draw to win prizes, which were likely to be flight tickets, or "something to keep warm", Ms Asaka said.
Sponsors of the event included the Department of Languages and Cultures at the university.
Proceeds from sales of food at the event will be going to English Language Partners Dunedin.
Ms Asaka, originally from Japan, said her role involved supporting students from other cultures, as well as organising events.
Last week she won a diversity and inclusion award at the New Zealand Youth Awards for her work with OUSA and with the Lucy Foundation, which supports families in Pluma Hidalgo in Mexico, helping people with disabilities find work in the coffee industry.
The social work student, who has brittle bone disease, has also helped disability information and support services at the university, providing ideas about how to make the campus more accessible.
"People think having a disability is a shameful thing. I want to change that thinking, and then show it's possible for anyone to do what they want to do."
