What's Happening in Tottenham, VIC…

Residents marked another New Year in Footscray on Sunday with the celebration of the Lunar New Year at the local East Meets West Festival.

The festival began with an opening ceremony and parade with a rickshaw run, the Victoria Police Band, classical and contemporary dance and music and fashion shows.

Throughout the day there was family entertainment, including a special supervised area for young children and a separate area for older children and teenagers.

The highlight of the festival was the wide range of brightly coloured stalls which offered food from the Far East. The dishes included popular favourites and more exotic treats. While some of the more exotic meals were not instantly recognisable, flyer printing and poster printing could have been used to help explain what each stall was offering.

The festival was organised by the Footscray Asian Business Association which was set up to help traders and people from Asia who had decided to set up home in Maribyrnong City’s Footscray suburb. It is estimated that around one third of the people in Maribyrnong City are from the Far East or have parents who were born there and the festival offered a chance to celebrate their heritage and engage with the local community.

If the festival got children in the mood for celebrating the Lunar New Year, Footscray library is further marking the occasion with a day of activities on Saturday February 2nd, including lion dancing, Chinese Music and a snake craft activity.