By Cam Lucadou-Wells
After a five year hiatus, the Albanian Festival returns to Dandenong.
Featuring three local folk bands, dance, costumes and foods, the celebration aims to keep traditions alive.
Australian Albanian Community Association of Dandenong Keshava president Riza Jaupi is expecting up to 2000 to flock to the festival.
“We just try to get our Albanian community together. We don’t want to lose our culture and our language.
“The more you do things like this for the young generation, the more of these traditions we will keep.”
Plans to revive the event over the past two years had been stalled by Covid.
“We used to have it in Dandenong Park every year. We expect to again make it an annual event on the last Sunday of February.
“It’s an ideal time. As Albanians, we don’t usually do any weddings in February because it’s a short month.”
Folk musicians include teen group Boys from Keshava performing with clarinet, drum, accordian and the double-stringed guitar (cifteli). Traditional foods include cevapi sausages, byrek pies and baklava sweets.
The event includes free children’s rides.
Albanian Festival is at George Andrews Reserve, Trewin Street, Dandenong South on Sunday 6 March, 10am-7pm.
