Victoria’s premier multicultural festival is back for its 44th year.
This Saturday 28 February, Cultura’s 2026 Pako Festa will once again transform Pakington Street into a riot of colour and movement, celebrating the rich diversity that makes up the fabric of Geelong.
With culturally diverse food, dancing, crafts and entertainment on display throughout the day, the celebrations centre on the famous Pako Parade beginning at 11am.
Cultura chief executive Rebecca Smith said Pako Festa was a highlight on the Geelong major events calendar.
“It has been running smoothly since 1983, thanks to everyone respecting the purpose and objective behind it, which is to celebrate local diversity,” she said.
“It’s about enriching and celebrating human connections and culture. Cultura’s Pako Festa offers a safe environment for diverse community groups to share their culture in a spectacular, fully immersive cultural experience of music, colour, food, costumes, dance and movement.
Ms Smith said the RAW Stage, a new initiative for emerging artists located at the northern end of the festival, would celebrate the depth of talent within multicultural youth communities.
“In a very real sense, we’re giving young people a chance to shine and potentially turn their passion into a future in the performing arts,” she said.
“We are incredibly proud to collaborate with Geelong Arts Centre on this program. Put simply, this new stage creates a meaningful pathway into the entertainment industry for many of our diverse young people.”
Geelong Arts Centre chief executive Rhys Holden said his organisation was “proud to enter a year-round partnership with Cultura”, with the Geelong Arts Centre Raw Stage just “the first exciting initiative of many,” he said.
