Orange’s many multicultural communities will come together in March for their annual Harmony Day fete to show their food, art, music and more off to the city.
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A dozen stalls from a wide array of cultures – from Indonesian to Indian to Moroccan to Indigenous – will be on show at South Court on March 23.
Now in its third year, the Harmony Day will have a Bollywood theme in 2019, with Bungarra dancers coming from Canberra to perform at the festival alongside a whole host of local cultural dancers.
Orange City Council’s migrant support officer Anni Gallagher said it was an incredible important event not just for different communities within Orange but for the wider community as a whole.
“Harmony Day is important for everyone to appreciate all the different cultures which make up Orange,” she said.
She said the food on display was designed to be in small, well-priced portions so people are able to try several different meals “before returning to have their favourites”, Mrs Gallagher said.
Harmony Day is important for everyone to appreciate all the different cultures which make up Orange.
- Anni Gallagher
There will be roughly 10 food stalls and a couple of artisan stalls – the numbers of which were still to be determined a month out from the festival.
There will also be plenty of entertainment on and off the stage, with activities for children including a jumping castle and other cultural and artistic activities, which will all be free for all comers – and Mrs Gallagher hinted there would be plenty of audience participation with some of the dance numbers.
Mrs Gallagher said the event would also provide training and certification which would last well beyond the festival.
All vendors will be trained in food handling and be given certificates, meaning they’ll be able to run stalls and serve food at other community events – such as farmers’ markets – well into the future.
International Harmony Day is on March 21, but the Orange celebration will take place two days afterwards so it can sit on the weekend.
The festival runs from 4pm to 8pm at South Court on Saturday, March 23.
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