Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Multiculturalism Ray Williams opened Western Sydney’s premiere arts and multicultural festival, Parramasala on 9th March.
The festival began with an opening parade of more than 700 people in national dress representing more than 40 nationalities, followed by a performance from international Bollywood dance troupe, the ‘Dreamgirls of Bollywood’.
“Parramasala is one of the biggest arts and cultural festivals. Nearly 35,000 people joined the celebrations in Western Sydney over three days this weekend.
“The NSW Government is proud to support Western Sydney’s growing arts and cultural sector, which is why we committed an additional $600,000, bringing our total support for the Festival to $2.2 million.” Said Mr Ray Williams
Program included performances by Grammy nominated soul-jazz quartet Hiatus Kaiyote, Grammy award-winning Saharan rock legends Tinariwen, and the global premiere of the Masala Nights World Dance Congress.
Member for Parramatta Dr Geoff Lee said Parramasala was one of the key highlights of Parramatta’s cultural calendar.
“Outside of the excellent entertainment, Parramasala has a positive effect on the local economy, injecting $2 million into it annually, with tens of thousands of visitors expected over the weekend,” Dr Lee said.
