The Festival is Canberra’s biggest celebration of cultural diversity and this year will run from 21-23 February. Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Chris Steel said that the Festival launch was a sample of what the Festival weekend is all about – a celebration of cultural diversity and an expression of our welcoming and inclusive city.
“Canberra is a proud multicultural city and with 200,000 people expected to attend the event this year it is Canberra’s favourite festival,” Minister Steel commented “The 2020 National Multicultural Festival will once again bring the city to life with performances and food from around the world. This year Canberra can look forward to performances from headliners Vanessa Amorosi and cooking demonstrations from chef Adam Liaw, as well as the many community groups proudly sharing their diverse culture.”
The Minister explained that Festival’s entertainment program will run across six stages and includes food, live music, dancing and performances from every corner of the world. This year Glebe Park has been added to the Festival’s footprint with stalls and activities for kids and families on Saturday and Sunday. The National Multicultural Festival’s Five-Year forward plan was also launched.
“The National Multicultural Festival is an important part of Canberra’s history and we are planning for special 25th birthday celebrations next year and enhancements to the festival beyond,” Minister Steel commented “The Plan will guide future direction of the Festival and highlights new opportunities for improvement, while ensuring it continues to uphold its core values and remains a vibrant, community focused event for years to come.”
Minister explained that Transport Canberra will be running increased services across both bus and light rail networks to ensure you can travel to and from the festival with ease. Additional light rail services will be in place on Saturday 22 February with increased Rapid bus services in place Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 February 2020. The late-night Rapid services, operating across the seven-day network, will continue to run throughout the duration of the festival to get you to where you need to go safely.