Council has voted in favour of a three-year sponsorship
agreement with Diversitat, to support the delivery of the Pako Festa from 2020
to 2022.
The new agreement means council will continue its proud
18-year support of the iconic event. While the City has traditionally supported
the festival through Geelong Major Events (GME) funding, this
new agreement will involve a $100,000 a year contribution from the Community Events Fund.
This year, the event
received $72,116 from GME and an additional one-off grant of $10,000 as a
result of a council notice of motion, totalling $82,116.
The City will continue
providing in-kind support to the event, including free use of the Geelong West
Town Hall.
Pako Festa is a free
multicultural festival that started in 1983 and runs along a one kilometre
stretch of Pakington Street in Geelong West. It has been organised and managed
exclusively by Diversitat, a local non-profit incorporated association, for
almost 20 years.
Diversitat estimates
that the single day event attracts 120,000 people, including 35 multicultural
groups and 30 community groups. The festival is an opportunity for local and
regional cultural groups to promote cultural diversity.
In continuing to
provide funding to Diversitat, council is demonstrating a commitment to support
one of Geelong’s most significant cultural community events.
Council agreed to the $100,000 funding amount, supporting an amendment moved by Councillor Kylie Grzybek.
Councillor Bruce Harwood – Mayor
It’s wonderful to see council re-committing to funding the Pako Festa
through Diversitat, as the event is a true celebration of cultural diversity in
our community. The City of Greater Geelong has been very supportive of the
festival throughout its history, including when its faced some significant
challenges.
