Thursday, 9 March 2023

South-Eastern Metropolitan Region multicultural communities

Lee TARLAMIS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (09:44): Recently I attended the 35th Antipodes Festival in Melbourne’s CBD. It was fantastic to again be part of this wonderful celebration of Hellenic culture, the largest celebration of its kind outside of Greece. Over two days around 100,000 people came from near and far to enjoy over 80 pop-up stalls selling delicious food and traditional arts and craft, carnival rides and three stages showcasing Hellenic dancing, singing, music, cooking and other entertainment. The festival was a raging success, and the performance by Greek singer Alkistis Protopsalti on Saturday evening also drew an amazing crowd. The annual Antipodes Festival is a wonderful celebration of diversity, culture and community, and the Victorian government is proud to be supporting it each year with funding. Congratulations to the Greek Orthodox community of Melbourne and everyone who contributed to another hugely successful event.

On the same weekend I also had the privilege of spending an afternoon in Dandenong Park supporting the local Albanian community at the Albanian Australian Community of Dandenong Keshava annual cultural festival. We shared Albanian food, dance and culture, and I caught up with many old friends and made lots of new ones. This was the first time the event had returned to Dandenong Park after many years, but if the turnout and enthusiasm of the attendees was any indication, the annual festival is only going to get bigger and better, and I look forward to being part of it. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this such a successful event.

While these events showcased just two of the many multicultural communities that proudly call Victoria and the south-east home, they are a demonstration of our strength and diversity that is thriving in our state, where our vibrant communities are proud to share their culture, cuisine and traditions and where on just about any and every weekend you can attend and participate in a wonderful multicultural festival, event or celebration.