Wellington County will host its first ever Multicultural Festival in September.
The event will be held on September 23 at the Wellington County Museum and Archives in Fergus. The event is a "celebration of diverse people, cultures, and communities," according to a county release. Residents and visitors are invited to come together to celebrate food, music, dance, and art from a variety of cultures.
Anuradha Dam, Wellington County's Economic Development Project Coordinator, says it was time to host an event like this for a changing and diverse county.
"The region’s demography is evolving, marked by increasing cultural diversity. We wanted to celebrate the many different cultures in our community, so we came up with the idea for the multicultural festival," Dam explained. "Reasons why we feel it’s important to do so are – the event aims to increase cross-cultural engagement, create space to rejoice and celebrate different cultures and the festival provides an opportunity to showcase and appreciate the diverse cultures that make up our community."
There will be many different displays and events to interact with at the festival, as Dam explains.
"When people attend the event, they can expect to see a wide range of culturally diverse performances. People can also taste cuisines from across the globe. Food vendors participating in the event will be bringing in Thai cuisine, Caribbean cuisine, Indian food amongst others," Dam shared excitedly. "Festivities will extend beyond the stage and food stalls to include a community art project “Flags for Healing the Planet” created by a local artist, from the Township of Centre Wellington. As well as also have free live activities for children. Many community organizations will be present on site too to share resources and information on available services."
More information about the event, and others in Wellington County, is easy to find.
"More information on our upcoming Multicultural Festival can be found on our webpage www.wellingtoncounty.ca/multiculturalfestival. Information on all events happening in the County can be found in our website under Experience and Explore tab," Dam added.
The Wellington County Multicultural Festival will run from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 23 at the Wellington County Museum and Archives.
