Mid West Multicultural Association’s Festival of Lights brings diversity together in family friendly event

The annual Festival of Lights will return bigger and brighter for its 15th year, celebrating cultural diversity in Geraldton with family fun, entertainment and circus stunts. The Festival of Lights will kick off at Stow Gardens from 4pm on Saturday, November 4, inviting more than 60 cultures to celebrate the diversity that lies within the community. Organised by the Mid West Multicultural Association, the festival will include inclusive and vibrant entertainment from an array of cultural groups, with headliner act ZAP Circus performing on-stage stunts that will have jaws dropping. Up to 12 cultures will set up stalls showing off everything their ethnicity has to offer. The Watato World will feature pony rides, face painting, animal rides, bouncy castles, the Old MacDonald travelling farm and hoverball archery for the younger ones. Remaja World, more suitable for teens, will have a silent disco in the Rage Cage, as well as wheelchair basketball on the courts. The community can dance, eat and explore the city’s cultures until 8.30pm and participate in workshops, Indigenous sand painting with artist Rashaan Briggs or even bring their favourite toy to receive a health check at the WA Centre for Rural Health teddy bear hospital. MWMA secretary Yvonne Lovedee thanked sponsors for their contributions including Lotterywest, Office of Multicultural Interests, City of Greater Geraldton, Mid West Ports Authority, Geraldton Grammar School, Bendigo Bank and the Rotary Club of Greater Geraldton. “Without our wonderful supporters this free to community celebration of our rich cultural diversity would not be possible”. Other supporters helping to run the Festival of Lights are Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton, Opposition Leader Shane Love, Agricultural Region MLC Sandra Carr, Durack MHR Melissa Price and Radio Mama.