Multicultural.

What comes to your mind first?

Bright colours.

Intense smells of different styles of cooking, herbs and spices.

Interesting music or musical instruments.

Perhaps different clothing or shoes.

The word has a different meaning for a lot of people.

For some it’s about diversity; inclusivity, the connection and emotion. It might be the pride and to share their love for their own culture with others. For others it might be to tick something off the bucket list and experience something new.

As small as Canberra is, it is made up of a lot of different ethnic groups and cultures coexisting and enjoying day to day living, but come February almost the whole of Canberra and surrounds celebrate multiculturalism in its purest form.

The 25th Anniversary of the National Multicultural Festival proved again that we are all individuals part of the same big, beautiful world. And at the Festival, the bright colours blended together with the different smells wafting through the air, accompanied by loud and powerful sounds of instruments, created an atmosphere of joy.

Fun facts about the festival:

The first festival was held as a multicultural day in 1981

The festival changed to the National Multicultural Festival in 1996

In 1997, the festival was held as a week-long event to celebrate Australia and Canberra’s cultural diversity

In 2010 it was decided that the sweet spot for the length of the festival was three days and it remains that way

It takes a minimum of ten months to plan the festival

The 2023 festival showcased 8 different stages with performances

The 2023 festival included 35 hands-on workshops and dedicated cooking demonstrations (2 new activities for people to enjoy)

2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the National Multicultural Festival which started in 1996

The festival through the years.

Photos by Bella Pon Fruitsia, Filipp Romanovski and Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Newspaper article about the first multicultural day in Canberra in 1981

Newspaper advertisement for the first multicultural day in Canberra in 1981

Newspaper article with photos about the first multicultural day in Canberra in 1981

January 1982 - the festival was held as part of Australia Day activities.

20,000 people were expected to enjoy the day and all the food stalls were packed into an international food festival as part of the multicultural festival.

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The 3rd multicultural festival

brought thousands of people

together and featured a

display of arts, crafts, dances

and food from over 40 ethnic

groups in Canberra.

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At the 8th successful festival

in Canberra a journalist wrote,

"The worst thing about the

Bicentennial Multicultural

Festival in Civic Square

yesterday was choosing what to

eat. Egyptian shish kebabs,

Vietnamese spring rolls,

Indonesian satays and Italian

ravioli induced quivering

indecision or outright gluttony."

Newspaper article advertisement for the Multicultural festival in 1989 in Canberra

Multicultural festival 1989

Newspaper advertisement for the Tenth Multicultural Festival in 1990

Tenth Multicultural Festival advertisement for 1990

Tenth Multicultural festival 1990

1992 Multicultural festival in Canberra

Multicultural festival 1992

Although the multicultural festival was part of Australia Day activities until 1996, the single day event grew and grew developing into a day full of fun and activities for the people of Canberra to enjoy.

In 1999, the Canberra National

Multicultural Festival was held

as a 21 day celebration of the

founding of Australia's

National Capital (12th of

March 1913) as well as

Australia's cultural diversity.

It was seen as the first of its

type and combined the best

from two previous festivals;

the Canberra Festival and the

National Multicultural

Festival.

During the 21 days, 152

different events occurred!

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In 2016, over 280,000 people

swarmed to the heart of

Canberra city to enjoy the

National Multicultural

Festival.

There were 9 stages and

incredible food from all

corners of the globe.

In 2021, the National Multicultural Festival would have celebrated its 25th anniversary, however the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Come 2022, the National Multicultural Festival was rescheduled again due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Canberra.