A fusion of colour, culture and collaboration is underway with the Shire of Dardanup preparing to host its first Fusion Festival.
The week-long festival beginning March 15 will form part of Harmony Week celebrations, highlighting the diverse cultures within community.
Shire of Dardanup community services manager Lee Holben said there was a diverse range of activities that would hopefully attract all residents.
“In the last couple of months we’ve had a look at current festivals and events that we’ve been hosting, we’ve looked at target and any particular areas that we’re perhaps missing,” she said.
“One of the areas was that we do have a number of multicultural people living in our communities and we wanted to link in with the current multicultural festivals.
“We didn’t want to duplicate what other councils were doing so we thought we would try to complement and that’s where the idea of the Fusion Festival came from.”
The array of workshops and events aims to give community members of all ages the opportunity to gain new skills, knowledge and understanding of cultures different to their own.
As part of Harmony Week it is also about creating memories and being involved in new experiences that they may not have the opportunity to involved in elsewhere.
“We have quite a range of free activities that are happening so there will be some held in Dardanup, the Eaton Library and Eaton Fair where cultural based groups will showcase their talents,” Ms Holben said.
“We’ve got spanish dancers, young aboriginal boys, we’ve got cultural food, origami, tai chi.
“Come and participate and experience another cultural group – we can all benefit from learning something new.
“Come along and be involved – it’s about getting to know your neighbour and what’s happening in the community.”
All events and programs are free to attend and the festival is fully funded by the Shire of Dardanup.
For more information visit dardanup.wa.gov.au/fusionfestival.