Our People
21 March, 2026
Harmony Week celebration today
A colourful celebration of culture, food and community connection will take over Stawell Town Hall today at the annual Grampians Harmony Festival. The festival will deliver music, performances and international food to Stawell from 12pm.
Festival organiser Sepe Illig said the day would showcase the many cultures that now call the region home, with food, music, dance and community activities forming the heart of the program.
“We’ll have different cultural cuisines and entertainment representing different nationalities in the region — including Horsham, Ararat and, of course, Stawell — with some performers also coming from Melbourne,” she said.
“There’ll be market stalls with handmade cultural arts and crafts as well as jewellery, along with food stalls, food trucks and community groups.”
Visitors will find plenty to keep families entertained, with a range of free activities planned throughout the afternoon.
“Free things are on offer during the day, like a door prize entry raffle, free popcorn, fruit cups and kids’ activities,” Ms Illig said.
“Family-friendly activities like face painting, a photo booth and a hair-braiding station — there’s a lot going on.”
Performances from a wide range of cultural groups will form the heart of the festival program.
Returning performers from Fiji, Vanuatu and Peru will take part alongside new cultural groups representing countries including Nepal and Nauru.
“Peru is very popular with the Zumba dance — it always gets people up and dancing,” Ms Illig said.
“We’ve also got a Filipino band and a cultural group performing.”
This year’s festival will also feature a newly introduced cultural costume parade, bringing together participants from across the region.
“Our highlight of the event, I feel, is the newly introduced cultural costume parade,” Ms Illig said.
“We’ve got about 14 different nations participating.”
Ms Illig said the festival also offered an opportunity for residents to recognise just how culturally diverse the Grampians region has become.
“Stawell and the wider Grampians region are home to more than 40 different nationalities,” she said.
“It’s something we don’t always realise — just how multicultural our region is.”
The event is organised by the Grampians Multicultural Hub, a community-driven organisation formed to help connect and support people from diverse backgrounds living in the region.
“We started about three years ago — it’s community driven,” Ms Illig said.
“It began with a group of locals who had been living here for a while and saw there were a lot of new residents coming through the workforce, especially through Thomas Foods and the medical sector.
“They wanted to welcome them to the region and make them feel part of the community.”
Since then, the organisation has grown and formally incorporated, allowing it to expand its work supporting cultural connection and community participation.
“We all come to the region for different reasons — work, family, whatever it may be — but we all make up a part of the region,” Ms Illig said.
“So it’s a way of contributing, giving back and celebrating where you live.”
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