The Katanning community will come together tomorrow (March 17) for the annual Katanning Harmony Festival, which celebrates a town widely regarded as ‘the multicultural gem of the Great Southern region’.
The festival, which includes live entertainment, cooking demonstrations, market stalls and an international food village, is a highlight in the town’s social calendar with about 5,000 people expected to attend.
Katanning is one of the most culturally diverse regional areas in Australia with more than 50 languages spoken in the town, and more than 37 per cent of residents having one or both parents born overseas.
This incredible diversity is reflected in the harmony festival, which features a number of diverse cultural groups including the Afghan, Chinese, Karen, Filipino, Malay, Burundi, Twa and Indian communities.
The Katanning Harmony Festival is one of the many events happening around the State to mark Harmony Week. Harmony Week gives everyone an opportunity to explore and appreciate Western Australia’s wealth of cultural, faith, linguistic and ethnic diversity.
For more information about Harmony Week, visit http://www.omi.wa.gov.au
Photo: King George Hostel, Katanning (Stu Rapley / Flickr)