Port Melbourne Festival

Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV) will present the 4th Piers Festival on Sunday 25th January 2015 (over the Australia Day weekend) at the Port Melbourne piers precinct, featuring a diverse range of music, dance, food, forums and historical exhibitions that celebrate and reflect on the collective migration stories at this significant entry point where almost half of the 180, 000 post World War II refugees to Australia arrived. The Piers Festival brings to life the Port Melbourne piers precinct, celebrating the pivotal role it played from 1915 to 1969 in Victoria’s growth and as a gateway to the diversity of cultures that enrich our community.

The headline act will be a multicultural ensemble led by the legendary Painters and Dockers performing with an extraordinarily talented selection of artists from diverse cultural backgrounds including Timorese, Maltese, Sudanese, Burundian, and Irish. This is a sensational new collaboration forging fresh ties between musical styles and cultural backgrounds.

2015 also brings a new space to the festival - The Landing, a diverse meeting place. The Landing is a space for a selection of community groups to represent themselves, their communities and culture. Each group will work with MAV to share their culture and history via installations, participatory activities, workshops and performances. The Landing promises to be an exciting space to explore and participate. The Landing will feature The Australian Turkish Cultural Platform, The Greek Australian Cultural League, The Sardinian Cultural Association, Societa Isole Eolie Melbourne, Cultural Historical Association of Rodriguans & Mauritians in Victoria, Association of Ukrainians in Victoria and more. The Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism is sending Mrs Gulseren Sonmez (Painter, Turkish Marbling Artist) to participate as part of the Australian Turkish Cultural Platform.

MAV is also thrilled to announce a new program of stories presented in a range of artistic formats that has been curated by Lella Carridi. Entitled What Happened at the Pier, it will activate various parts of the pier and span discussions, poetry readings, spoken word, visual art installations and musical responses to the long history of arrivals and departures at the Pier. An exhibition featuring artefacts and artworks relating to "What Happened At the Pier" is at the Emerald Hill Library & Heritage Centre until 13 February - opening hours and full details at .

In addition to the headline programs, visitors will be able to enjoy a wide array of cultural games and activities; historical tours of the area and global cuisine from local providers; alongside small-scale roving performers too.

With 10, 000 visitors from diverse cultural backgrounds coming along to join the celebrations held at the Port Melbourne piers precinct, the Piers Festival has become an annual highlight and a significant occasion for reflecting on our collective migration stories.

Supported by Arts Victoria, City of Port Phillip and the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship.