Rich Diversity On Show At 2014 Languages And Cultures Festival

Peace, harmony, goodwill and a day of family fun is in store at Sunday’s ninth Toowoomba Languages and Cultures Festival in Queens Park from 10am to 4pm. Under the banner ‘One World, Many Faces’, the festival highlights the thriving and diverse language and cultural groups who live across the Toowoomba region and southern Queensland. An opening ceremony, with a Welcome to Country and a Mayoral greeting from Cr Paul Antonio, starts from 11.30am

Toowoomba Regional Council Tourism and Events portfolio leader Cr Geoff McDonald said the event is an inclusive community celebration of the region’s many different nationalities. Cr McDonald said the promise of travelling around the world for $5 could be satisfied on Sunday given the many different groups that will perform and the chance to try food from more than two dozen international food stall stalls. “The best way to learn about different cultural groups and their respective traditions is to experience a sample of their hospitality first-hand,” Cr McDonald said.
Three stages will offer hours of colourful dancing and vibrant music from school groups and ethnic performers along with roving entertainment. A new exhibition lane, ‘From the Lands of Time’ will display artists’ works, including a peace dove and ribbon creation.

Visitors can browse the stands at the Health and Wellness Expo as well as the languages, school and community displays. Other areas are given over to an activities marquee, martial arts demonstrations and the USQ marquee, with displays covering archaeology, languages, history, a poet’s corner and creative writing.
The festival offers a great deal of education and information about services and different providers in the region who support these activities. “Children will enjoy amusement rides, camel rides, an animal farm and see reptile demonstrations at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.

Performances will feature Maori headline act Te Whanau Tautoko (left), Indian music, Solomon Islands dance, Middle Eastern dance, Rubatuba European Street Music group, Bollywood dancers, Nepalese folk dance, Bangladesh music and dancers, Filipino dancers, a Celtic choir, Taiko drummers and a Caledonian Pipe Band amongst others.
Rubatuba-TLCTai Chi displays, exercises by the Falun Dafa group, zumba, bellydance demonstrations, sets from the Women in Harmony choir and school dance performances showcasing Papua New Guinea, Bollywood, Indonesian and Bangladeshi styles will be on show.

Entry is $5 for adults with children allowed free entry.  More information is available at the Toowoomba International Multicultural Society website at www.tims.org.au

Submitted by:
Angus Moffatt
Media Relations Officer
Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
Toowoomba Regional Council