Celebrating multiculturalism

Folk-dancing, international music and food and drinks from around the world – you’ll find all this and more at the Global Village Multicultural Festival in Docklands next month.

Docklands is set to host the festival over three days from Friday, October 21 to Sunday, October 23.

It’s the first time Docklands has hosted the event, with the inaugural festival held in Princes Park last year and attracting around 25,000 people.

Event organiser Nick Kuzmanov said he hoped to see festival numbers grow this year at its new Docklands home

The festival is a celebration of community and diversity, bringing together a range of different cultures and their unique cultural expressions.

“We’ll have more than 70 different nationalities represented at the festival across the dancing, music and food,” Mr Kuzmanov said.

Mr Kuzmanov explained one of the key features of the event would be a folk dancing competition, with cultural groups sharing their heritage and battling it out in The Fifth Quarter Folk Dancing Competition.

Fellow event organiser Johnny Tsiglev said the folk-dancing competition was a unique event.

“Last year we had such positive feedback about the folk dancing because people had never seen anything like it,” Mr Tsiglev said.

Global Village Multicultural Village is a member of the International Council of Organisations of Folklore Festivals (CIOFF), which is a partner of UNESCO.

Mr Kuzmanov said CIOFF held an international folklore festival every four years and his organisation was aiming to bring the festival to Australia in 2024.

While the folk-dancing displays and competition is sure to be a highlight of the three-day festival, Mr Kuzmanov said there would be a range of entertainment on offer including traditional and cultural music, singing and performances.

Aside from entertainment, the festival will also include food and drinks from around the world, with festival organisers aiming to showcase cuisines from around the globe.

“It’s a true multicultural event, with collaboration amongst a range of different communities,” Mr Tsigev said. “Not only that, but we’re also supporting Medecins Sans Frontieres.”

Event organisers are seeking support from the residential and corporate community and invite Docklanders to consider purchasing tickets to the festival’s “Feast without Borders”.

A group package of 10 tickets provides 20 people with mixed platters of different cuisines and two drinks per person, with 50 per cent of profits donated to Medecins Sans Frontieres.

For more information about the Global Village Multicultural Festival and Feast Without Borders visit http://www.globalvillagefestival.org.au