City of Ballarat councillors John Philips and Belinda Coates with Harmony Fest fans Lara De Mello, 4, Oscar Castillo, 5, Nicholas Mejia, 2, Luis Castillo, 4, and Carlos Myers, eight months.
THE myriad of cultures in Ballarat will be celebrated this month at the third annual Harmony Fest.
The fest will be held on Sunday, March 24, to mark Harmony Day.
City of Ballarat councillor and intercultural advisory committee chairman John Philips said it would be a great day for all cultural groups to come together to enjoy food and dance.
“It is a huge coup to this year have Archie Roach and Shane Howard involved, alongside a wide range of high-calibre musical acts,” Cr Philips said.
“With the theme ‘all of us’, we want to bring the entire community together to celebrate Ballarat’s wonderful diversity.
“I encourage the community to come along, enjoy some international cuisine, sit back and enjoy what will be a vibrant event.”
Another musical attraction of the day is Bollywood group Om Music Group Australia. Amitabh Singh said he had performed with the group all over Australia, but this would be the first time in Ballarat.
Mariana Paiva will take part in the parade with her group, HOLA – the Latin Association and the Baarlinjaan Traditional Dance Group, and said it would be a day filled with colour and fun.
“We might do some Brazilian dancing, like the samba,” Ms Paiva said.
“It’s so important to share culture.
“There are so many different things to learn from other cultures and teach other cultures.”
In its third year, Harmony Fest will see five hours of musical acts, food, markets and a parade with nine local groups taking part.
It will be held at Alfred Deakin Place on Camp street, with Camp street closed off to traffic.
