National Multicultural Festival - Canberra 2019
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Fri 15 Feb 2019 - Sun 17 Feb 2019
Have you been waiting all year for the National Multicultural Festival to be back in the city? It is one of the biggest festivals and celebrations in Canberra's events calendar. If you have never been before, imagine the entire city centre along City Walk, Garema Place and all the side streets, lined with stalls, six stages with cultural music pumping out of the speakers and the most delicious food smells wafting from over 300 hot plates! Roads are blocked off, community stalls are set up and there is a positive, excited vibe that takes over the city centre.
The party begins on Friday evening, 15th February and continues all weekend, with over 200,000 people descending on the city over the whole weekend to enjoy the shows, food, entertainment, music and parades. Clear your calendar for the whole weekend - you are going to want to go back more than once!
Friday Night Program (3pm - late)
Although the "official" opening of the festival doesn't happen until 7pm in the evening, the music kicks off from 3pm with a huge range of acts happening over five stages. Watch the Mountain Lion Dance Troups and Chinese New Year's Special Concert on Stage 3 (starting at 5pm), Welcome to Country on Stage 1 (6:30pm) and the Official Opening of the Festival at 7pm. Headline act
Christina Anu will then perform at 7:30pm, with large crowds expected.
In between watching the performances, walk around and enjoy a wide range of international food from stallholders all around the city. Taste food from Nepal, sip a coconut drink from Samoa, try a traditional curry from a remote part of India or a noodle drink that is popular in Indonesia. One of the reasons why this festival is so popular is that you get to try food and learn about cultures that you may not have even heard of before. It is hard to stop at one food stall when you will want to try them all!
See here for the full Friday Program.
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Saturday Program (10am until late)**
Saturday is the biggest day of the event, with music and performances on all six stages - all day and all night! Check out Drums of the Pacific, the Moroccan Fashion Show, The Happy Chinese New Year Showcase and more on each of the stages. There is so much to see, you won't know where to go first!
Ensure you catch
Chef Mark Olive on Stage 1 at 11am - 12pm and then again 1pm - 2pm.
Don't miss the
ANU Parade at 4pm, which is expected to have 2,000 participants!
Isaiah Firebrace , winner of X Factor Australia in 2016, will be part of the Indigenous Showcase on Stage 2 at 7:30pm and then on Stage 1 at 9:30pm.
If you are going to the festival with kids, visit the Children's Sanctuary at
ACT - Civic/@-35.2812114,149.1304484,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x25993861dc38d475?ved=2ahUKEwifv_zb4JbgAhWXX30KHYBTANAQ_BIwDnoECAYQCA Civic Library (Saturday) and
Museum %26 Gallery/@-35.2805452,149.1309582,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x5025473e687b6a03?ved=2ahUKEwi61aTp4JbgAhWVbisKHUDaCfkQ_BIwD3oECAEQCA Canberra Museum and Art Gallery (both days on the weekend) for some quiet areas to have a break from the sounds, smells and stimulation outside.
See here for the full Saturday Program (scroll down to all three pages)
Sunday (10am - 5pm)
Just because it's Sunday, don't think for a minute that this festival will slow down! It all ramps up again at 10am, with acts on all of the stages such as the Canberra Celtic Pipe Band, Baila Chile Folk Dances, Canberra Hellenic Dancers – Greek Folk Dancing, the Baila Chile Folk Dances and much more. The food stalls will be sizzling again and the city will buzz with a party atmosphere all day. The official closing is on Stage 1 at 4:20pm, with the announcement of prizes and the final acknowledgements.
See
here for the full Sunday program.
What a weekend that Canberra has in store! This festival is a favourite for over 200,000 people for a reason. Where else can you learn about new countries, meet new people, watch colourful performances and feel the beat of the music all through your body? It also teaches children about the geography of the world and that Australia is just one country, amongst a whole world of cultures and people. It is a friendly, inclusive festival that will you smack you in the face with colour, smells and music and make you fall in love with it so much, that you will count down the months until it comes back again.
You won't find anyone having a better time than here!
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!date 15/02/2019 -- 17/02/2019
%wncanberra
211074 - 2023-06-16 06:33:35