In an era when fringe groups and divisive voices seek to sow mistrust and fear, the Canberra Multicultural Festival is more important than ever.

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This vibrant event brings our city together, demonstrating that food, music, dialogue, friendship, and collaboration across cultures are not only possible, they are thriving.

I have lived in Canberra long enough to remember when the festival was a modest gathering of about 20 community stalls in the late 1990s.

It was small, intimate, and driven almost entirely by volunteers who wanted to share food, music, and stories. There was little sense then that it would become one of Australia's largest multicultural celebrations or a defining feature of Canberra's civic identity.

This weekend, the festival once again took over the city centre. What began with a handful of stalls has grown into an event featuring more 250 food and cultural stalls and hundreds of performances, attracting well over 400,000 visits across the weekend.

The festival generates about $20 million for the ACT economy and supports roughly 500 jobs, including casual and temporary roles in hospitality, event production, and tourism. For many vendors, particularly migrants and refugees, it represents their most important commercial opportunity of the year.

Beyond economics, the festival has become one of Canberra's most effective mechanisms for breaking down barriers and fostering social........

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