A cultural diversity celebration will bring fashion, music, song, dance and food to Dandenong’s Harmony Square.
The Springvale Neighborhood House Harmony Festival will run from noon to 8.30pm on Saturday 17 March.
Springvale Neighbourhood House manager Melanie Virtue said the annual event promoted “the many talents of our cultural community groups”.
“The Harmony Festival shows how well our communities live together and come together to party in harmony,” she said.
“We have performers from Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia and Serbia.
“There are even more countries represented in the International Dress Parade – last year, we had over 80 people from 26 countries walking in the dress parade.
“It was a fabulously colourful display of the cultural pride of our community members.”
Ms Virtue said the free event was designed to promote understanding and respect for diverse cultural, linguistic and religious groups.
Along with costumes and performances there’ll be cultural experiences like henna hand painting, Maori warrior tattoos, Chinese tea tasting, an Oromo coffee ceremony and a ‘Dress Like an Egyptian’ stall.
The International Dress Parade will run from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.
The multicultural concert will hit the stage from 2pm, and there’ll be community stalls and food trucks throughout the afternoon.
Stilt walker Giant Cai Shen – Chinese god of prosperity – will bring good luck to those who touch his tummy and pose for a photo.
