Cultural Diversity Week Festival
Celebrating the City of Melton’s diverse community at a week-long festival of free events. Community members of all backgrounds, identities, ages and abilities can enjoy a series of interactive activities, cultural performances, multicultural food, an artist talk, film screening and more.
The theme for 2024 is ‘City of Melton Harmony - Two Hundred Thousand Dreams and More!’
The Festival recognises the United Nation's International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD), observed annually on 21 March. The date is also known as Harmony Day in Australia which recognises the rich cultural diversity of everyone who calls Australia home – from the Traditional Owners of this land to those who have come from many countries around the world.
Why we celebrate Cultural Diversity Week
The City of Melton is home to a wide range of cultures, languages and ways of life.
According to Victorian Multicultural Commission “Multiculturalism is a core part of the Victorian identity, our character and way of life. Our state is home to people who speak 290 languages and have 314 different ancestries. It's also a place where anyone can contribute and belong. Cultural Diversity Week is a time to celebrate the power, influence, and stories of Victoria's rich multicultural communities.”
Cultural Diversity Week is an opportunity to involve local groups and organisations to deliver events that celebrate the diversity our city enjoys. These events and initiatives intend to create awareness about the advantages created from our diversity within the City of Melton and promote social harmony and dialog.