7 May 2020

Vanessa Amorosi and Adam Liaw to headline 2020 National Multicultural Festival

| Dominic Giannini
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National Multicultural Festival

National Multicultural Festival. Photo: Supplied.

Australian icon Vanessa Amorosi and former MasterChef winner Adam Liaw will headline this year’s National Multicultural Festival in Canberra, which attracts hundreds of thousands of people annually to celebrate diversity in the capital.

The 24th instalment is set to turn the heart of Canberra into a profusion of sounds, sights and smells with hundreds of stalls selling local delicacies, and both local and international acts taking over the capital towards the end of February.

Minister for Multicultural Affairs Chris Steel says they are looking to build upon the success of previous years for one of the nation’s largest celebrations of cultural diversity.

“We are really looking forward to hosting such high-profile Australians at one of the biggest events on the Canberra calendar,” Mr Steel said.

“Vanessa’s album and singles sales have reached over two million worldwide and this year she will also be competing at the Eurovision Australia Decides contest for the opportunity to represent us at the 2020 Eurovision song contest.”

Adam Liaw, who won MasterChef in 2010 and has since become a television presenter and author, will bring his renowned cornucopia of culinary delights to the festival as well.

“Adam is a celebrated chef, businessperson, and food columnist, and will provide unique entertainment and educational value to the Festival. Adam’s recipes feature across all media and it will be great to have him here to share some of those with us,” Mr Steel said.

“We want to keep building on the success of previous years with a festival that promotes equality, social inclusion, and sharing of cultural traditions that contribute to a community that respects and celebrates our diversity.”

Festival director Azra Khan says she hopes the event will allow the community to come together after such a devastating period.

“This year the Festival will hopefully allow the community to come together after the very difficult time with the bushfire threat and related smoke hazard we have experienced of late,” she told Region Media.

“Cultural events occur all over Australia throughout the year, but the National Multicultural Festival is special because of its truly multicultural diversity.

“The Festival’s enduring success is due to the extraordinary efforts of hundreds of people, representing Canberra’s vibrant community sector.”

The festival will take place between Friday, 21 February and Sunday, 23 February. For more information about the Festival, visit www.multiculturalfestival.com.au.

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