Record Pako festa “the best ever”

More than 100,000 people jumped into the Pako Festa melting pot during a record-breaking day of multicultural flavours, music and dance moves on Saturday.
Diversitat chief Michael Martinez said the event’s success had cemented its status as Australia’s biggest celebration of multiculturalism.
“There’s a lot of other events of its type in Australia and I think that, in terms of the nature of the stalls and the layout of the street, Pako Festa is second to none,” Mr Martinez said.
Police estimated more than 100,000 people flocked to the northern end of Pakington Street on Saturday to soak up the sights and sounds of more than 60 different cultures on display.
“The crowd size indicates that multiculturalism in Geelong is really embraced at a local level,” Mr Martinez said.
“That’s a reality that’s here to stay.
“And there were also a lot of people who came down from Melbourne specifically for Pako Festa, which is great for Geelong.”
A display of Indonesian culture won the coveted Most Culturally Aware award, while a Ukrainian group was judged winner of the Best Use of Theme category.
Herne Hill Primary School won a schools prize.
The Independent was print media sponsor of Pako Festa.