Are you game for family fun, great entertainment and delicious food this Sunday? CultureFest 2023 is the place to be, as you would get to experience more than 60 communities celebrating their unique culture in one place.
The event is part of Auckland Council’s ongoing World of Cultures festivities and will take place on April 2, 2023, at Mt Roskill War Memorial Park. It aims to enable Aucklanders to celebrate, share and experience the value and vibrancy of the city’s multiculturalism through food, music, storytelling, performance, art, play and sport.
Talking to The Indian Weekender, Sammy Johnston, Festival Director of CultureFest, said, "After two years of cancellations, we are thrilled to bring back CultureFest for our communities to reunite and celebrate our unique cultures. It will be a wonderful celebration of our cultural diversity. We've had an enthusiastic response to participation applications this year, so visitors will be able to enjoy more than 120 stalls, including over 40 stalls selling mouth-watering cuisine from all over the world and 40 live performances throughout the day.”
Johnston said Kiwi-Indians, in particular, have a lot to look forward to in this year’s edition. “We have also set up special cultural zones, including Bollywood Party where visitors can enjoy and experience Indian dance, food, henna tattoos and a saree photo booth. Outside the cultural zone, our Kiwi-Indian community can also look forward to many other Indian food stalls and enjoy performances from several Indian community groups, including a 30-minute workshop in Mohiniyattam, the traditional dance of Kerala by Dr Mary Smitha from Dance Kerala,” she told The Indian Weekender.
The performers are looking forward to the event with full enthusiasm. One of the Indian performers is Remuera-based Tamil NZ School of Dance, which is presenting a Bharatanatyam recital.
Ambiha Sitsabesan, who manages the dance school, said, "It is a fantastic occasion to celebrate different cultures and super proud to bring a Bharatanatyam piece from Indian culture. Our Bharatanatyam performance includes a prayer to the goddess of the earth mother, who holds all of us on this planet. She is admired for her patience and empathy. As dancers, we hit hard on the ground while dancing and ask her for forgiveness and blessings for our success. The key theme of our performance is peace, harmony and friendship, which reflects multicultural Aotearoa. We are super excited.”
Even Kiwi-Indians are waiting to be a part of the celebration. Tina Sharma, a Papatoetoe resident, said, “It will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our community, experience Auckland’s many cultures and connect with Aucklanders face to face. I am particularly looking forward to savouring delicious dishes from different parts of the world, letting my tastebuds travel the world, and enjoying some great cultural performances."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What: CultureFest 2023
When: Sunday, April 2, 2023
Where: Mt Roskill War Memorial Park, May 15 Road, Mt Roskill, Auckland
Timing: 11am-5pm
ISSUE
Leave a Comment