Mar 22

Mar 22 Multiculturalism: Culture Galore 2017 held on March 11, saw representation from over 70 different ethnic communities in food stalls, activities and performances

Ethnic communities, Community organisations

“The great thing about Culture Galore is that the community takes ownership of the festival. It's another indication that Christchurch is embracing diversity. In addition to some good initiatives already in place such as the adoption of Christchurch Multicultural Strategy by the City council, we need more cross-cultural exchanges, especially on medium such as the Plains FM radio. With regards to Culture Galore itself, we would like to have more involvement of the Pacifika community and make the event more interactive for the audiences in the future.”

- Nicki Reece, Station Manager, Plains FM, Christchurch, talking about Culture Galore and Plains FM

“One of the things I love about Christchurch is that we truly celebrate our diversity and we are proud to share them. Hence every cultural event we have in our city- e.g. Lantern Festival or Japan Day- is truly beautiful. Culture Galore is unique in a way that it's truly a galore of different cultures. It embraces all cultures we have here in Christchurch and it's where people can come and experience them all. These can be visual through performances, or by tasting authentic traditional food from stalls. I think the objective of Culture Galore has always been the same but every year we see new performances, stalls and have new things to learn about. I used to perform Korean Traditional Dancing at Culture Galore and have seen more and more people attend every year and I think that that is the reason why there is growing popularity of Culture Galore - because it is a place we celebrate our diversity and learn about our neighbour's cultures.”

- Catherine Chu, Riccarton/Wigram/Halswell community board member, on uniqueness of Culture Galore and how it has changed over the years.

“The event has grown massively from when it started in 2001, with a big increase in the number of ethnic and cultural groups participating. This year, for example, all the stalls were booked months in advance. One of the unique features of Culture Galore is that all the food stalls are managed by community groups, and commercial establishments and restaurants are not allowed. Another special feature is that the event is supported by two community boards – the Fendalton/Waimairi/Harewood and Riccarton/Wigram/Halswell boards. Also, due to the proximity of the venue to the University of Canterbury and nearby student accommodations, this event serves well to welcome international students to our multi-ethnic city.”

- Shirish Parajape, Fendalton/Waimairi/Harewood community board member, on uniqueness of Culture Galore and how it has changed over the years.