Piers Festival of Melbourne Marks Diversity

Victoria will celebrate for the second year in a row its cultural diversity and history of migration connected with Melbourne’s two piers on Jan. 27 in the port. The Piers Festival 2013 links in with Victoria’s Australia Day and presents music, dance and food from around the world, arts and crafts, photo and historical exhibitions, forums, storytelling, choirs, boat display, children’s activities and fireworks.

From the gold rush to wartime, from post-war migration to cruise shipping, Station & Princes Piers have played a pivotal role in Victoria’s growth and offered a gateway to the diversity of cultures that enrich the state’s community.

The event is open to everyone and will be of special interest to the Greek community that has a long history of migration to Australia. The festival pays tribute to Greek heritage with Manasis dance group performing traditional dances, Vasili from Vasili’s Garden hosting an event of songs and stories of various cultural communities and Meyhane music group performing traditional Greek and Balkan music.

This is the full PIERS FESTIVAL PROGRAM:

2 – 5 p.m. SONGS & STORIES STAGE
Hosted by Vasili (from Vasili’s Garden)
Enjoy some of Melbourne’s finest harmonies from culturally diverse artists and communities including: The Austrian Choir – Danny Spooner – Young At Heart Choir – The Russian Senior Citizens Choir – Valanga Khoza – The Melbourne Samoan Choir – The Lost Clog Lithuanian Choir.

2 – 5 p.m. MIGRATION FORUMS
Hosted by Diana Nguyen
Did you or your parents arrives as migrants? Hear some incredible stories that draw out the universal experience of the migrant with guest spearkers from some of Melbourne’s key migrant communities. Forums will be held upstairs in the historic Princes Pier gatehouse at 2-3pm and 3:30 – 4:30pm

2 – 6 p.m. CULTURAL BOATS
Discover beautifully decorated, cultural boats and their strong connection to spirit and community. Boats will be rowed in and displayed at the Beacon Cove beach beside Princes Pier.
MAORI WAKA: An 8-meter, hand-carved canoe traditionally called Te Karangatahi, meaning voice of the people.
HMAS CEREBRUS NAVY DRAGONBOAT: An 8-meter racing canoe with dragon head and tail that originated in China more than 2000 years ago.

5 – 9:30 p.m. MAINSTAGE CULTURAL CONCERT & FIREWORKS
Hosted by Carmelina Guglielmo

5:00 Chinese Dragon Dance
5:05 Welcome to Country
5:10 Uncle Herb Patten – renowned gumleaf player
5:15 Dalouna – Lebanese dabke youth dance
5:30 Meyhane – Greek and Anatolian music
6:05 Manasis – Traditional Greek dance
6:20 HKUD Lado – Croatian music and dance from Geelong
6:40 Maltese Musings – folk tunes from the Mediterranean
7:05 Vardos… Hungarian music with the Gyongyos Bokreta dancers
7:40 TumbaRumba – lively Brazilian beats for dancing
8:10 Lowicz – Dynamic Polish dance ensemble
8:30 Lamine Sonko & The African Intelligence – Afro-Latin dance party
9:20 Fireworks

2 – 9:30 p.m. EXHIBITIONS, FOOD & CRAFT
The beautifully restored Princes Pier will come to life with food and crafts from around the world, stilt walkers, the Connies roving characters and children’s craft tent. Upstairs in the historic boathouse, don’t miss the photographic exhibition titled Migrant Fathers by artist Nik Buttigieg and the fascinating collection of artifacts by the Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society.