Orange City Council's annual Harmony Festival will be held on February 21-22 to celebrate our multicultural community.
The Harmony Festival will be held from 21-22 February.
A highlight of the festival, Harmony Day, will be held from 2.30pm to 8pm on Saturday 22 February.
This year's Harmony Day will feature a citizenship ceremony for the first time, as well as cultural stalls, multicultural food and entertainment.
The Harmony Festival celebrates the message 'Everyone Belongs' highlighting inclusiveness, respect and recognising the contribution of Australians from different backgrounds.
Orange City Council Services Policy Committee Chair, Cr Marea Ruddy encouraged everyone to join in the celebrations to recognise our region's cultural diversity.
"We want to celebrate and show a sense of belonging for everyone," Cr Ruddy said.
"Cultural diversity is one of our region's greatest assets and we are stronger because of it. We want everyone, no matter who they are or where they're from, to come along and have fun and appreciate that our differences make our community a great place to live."
A highlight of the Harmony Festival is Harmony Day, which will be held from 2.30pm to 8pm on Saturday 22 March in the Civic Square South Court.
Dancer, choreographer and visual artist Lucky Lartee will headline the entertainment on Harmony Day.
This year's celebration will feature a citizenship ceremony for the first time, as well as cultural stalls and multicultural food including Indigenous dishes, Indonesian, Filipino, Sri Lankan, Romanian and Cambodian food.
The day will also feature a wide range of entertainment including dancer, choreographer and visual artist Lucky Lartey, Javier and the Wave, Ukrainian soprano Larissa Kovalchuk, circus performer Justin Buchta and cultural performances by local residents from a variety of backgrounds.
The Harmony Cup Soccer Gala Evening and 'Together in Harmony' Garden Party will begin at 5.30pm on Friday 21 February at Sir Jack Brabham Park. The two events have been combined this year to create a celebratory atmosphere.
The Harmony Cup is a free seven-a-side round-robin soccer competition for men, women and under 16s teams. Team registrations close on Wednesday 7 February. Individual player registrations have opened. Fill out the form. Spectators are welcome.
The Together in Harmony Garden Party brings together multicultural groups in Orange for social connection. Participants are welcome to bring a picnic and cheer on the soccer teams. There will also be musical entertainment by Javier and the Wave, and a Sri Lankan food van.
While Harmony Week celebrations are usually held across Australia around March 21, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in Orange, the Harmony Festival is being held before the start of Ramadan so members of the local Muslim community can participate.
Harmony Day is supported by Multicultural NSW.
