| posted on February 26, 2021
THE renowned Katanning Harmony Festival is back this year, kicking off on Friday, March 12 with a Food Night March before the extravagant street festival the following day.
The annual festival draws visitors in from far and wide, travelling to take part in the showcase and celebration of Katanning’s cultural diversity within the community.
This year marks the towns 11th Harmony Festival after last year’s celebrations were cancelled due the coronavirus pandemic.
Katanning’s multicultural and diverse community takes this opportunity to proudly unite the 40-plus nationalities of their residents, embracing the variety of different cultural and religious backgrounds.
The Harmony Festival provides an opportunity to bring people together to learn more about the varying cultures through food, entertainment, stories and shared experiences.
Friday’s Food Night festivities will take place in the Town Square on Clive Street where there will be abundant choice of food stalls accompanied by live music, expended to draw up to 1,000 people on the night.
Saturday marks the main day of celebration where the flamboyant street festival will take over Austral Terrace, where more than 5,000 people are expected to flock to festivities.
The day will begin with a Cultural Q&A event at the Daily Grind Cafe between 8am-12pm where people are encouraged to ask questions about different cultures to learn more about them.
The afternoon will see a variety of live stage entertainment from the town’s cultures, alongside market stalls, an international food village filled with cultural food stalls, a flag procession, a youth and kids zone area with activities and local business stalls.
To comply with COVID-19 requirements, this year’s festivities have been moved to Austral Terrace with SafeWA QR codes at all entry points to allow for more residents and visitors to enjoy the day.
The location change has also moved the festivities closer to the Town Hall, which is where voting for the State Election will take place on the same day.
