Festival embraces cultures

Event to honour the coast’s multicultural background with food and dance

Excitement is building ahead of a community culture festival night market at Paraparaumu College’s square on Friday, March 15. The Culture Festival Night Market, from 5pm to 8pm, seeks to honour the coast’s multicultural neighbourhood through food, music, dance, activities and games catering for all ages, climaxing with a traditional costume display.

Not only will the event trumpet some well-known musicians and artists such as South America’s Fernando Figueroa’s band, the Mukume Taiko Drummers, rising Kāpiti College singer Tui and the Polish/Ukrainian seven-piece band Krakerjack, other authentic items representing Ireland, Colombia, the Pacific Islands, Czechoslovakia, China and many more are also on show.

Henna painting, calligraphy, creative instrument and dance interplay, mask-making, origami stalls, coupled with games from the Philippines, France and Canada aim to keep young people active, alongside interactive cultural dances interspersed between different dance performances.

“All this is backed by a magnificent array of ethnic food stalls, to tempt the tastebuds for eventgoers’ dinner,” organiser Liselle Hutchinson said.

“This is the first Culture Festival Night Market this community has held for some time, perhaps ever, and it is shaping up impressively.”

She was enthusiastic about the connections already forming among migrant families and groups.

“Above all, it’s important that all people in our community have opportunities to have a voice and be celebrated. Hopefully, this event will honour the rich diversity within this district.”

“With the support of both Paraparaumu and Waikanae Community Boards, the Confucious Society and each artist’s positive contribution to vitalising traditions, this event is shaping up to be a wonderful fiesta of colour, sound, movement and taste.”