Nepalese song and dance will headline the Toowoomba Languages and Cultures Festival on 11 Sunday August at Toowoomba’s Queens Park.
Toowoomba Region Mayor Paul Antonio has launched the 14th annual event with festival co-founder Gitie House, Toowoomba International Multicultural Society, and Nepalese community elder Mr Tunnah Budhathoki. A Nepalese dance group and a children’s choir offered a colourful and rousing preview of what audiences can expect in August alongside hundreds of other performers and food stalls from around the globe.
Mayor Antonio said he was delighted Council was joining other community groups, organisations and sponsors to ensure the award-winning festival celebrated the different cultural groups who live around the region. “The Toowoomba Languages and Cultures Festival is a joyous celebration of our region’s diverse cultural groups. I’m proud of how our community is able to celebrate our distinct differences. Rejoicing in our diversity shows a great sense of civic pride and maturity. Everyone can learn and be enriched by experiencing a little of the fabulous food, music and dance of the cultural groups that come from all corners of the world.”
Mrs House said Toowoomba International Multicultural Society was committed to keeping the festival a community-driven event promoting peace, harmony, goodwill and a day of family fun. “From the start, Towoomba International Multicultural Society and the Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Queensland have worked with volunteers and many community groups to make the Toowoomba Region a welcoming and inclusive society that values people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.”
As well as featuring a myriad of entertainment and food options, there will be activities for children on offer and displays featuring school, languages and community information. Tourism Recreation and Conservation’s portfolio leader Cr Geoff McDonald said the festival continued to grow in popularity and stature each year. “More than 20,000 people attended last year which underlines the appeal of discovering the distinctive food, music and cultural attributes our different communities contribute to our daily lives.”
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