Mayor’s Message - Friday 21 March 2025
Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Ballarat’s Harmony Fest Program for 2025 – a two-week celebration of our culturally diverse community and their contributions to society.
This year marks our 15th Harmony Fest and the theme is ‘Everyone belongs’. It is about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.
Interculturalism is now a defining feature of our community. Figures show that Ballarat is home to migrants from 89 different countries, and almost 29 per cent of Ballarat residents have at least one parent born overseas.
The City of Ballarat is committed to building a culturally aware and socially cohesive community through a range of initiatives which includes Harmony Fest, the Intercultural Ambassador Program, and the delivery of the Intercultural City Strategic Plan 2022-2026.
Ballarat is also identified as a Refugee Welcome Zone and we are the first Intercultural City in Australia, having joined the Intercultural Cities Network with the Council of Europe in 2017.
Our cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths and is at the heart of who we are, and Harmony Fest is a time to celebrate this.
Each year Harmony Fest is scheduled to wrap around Harmony Day - the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This day, held on March 21st, encourages Australians to come together to reflect on and celebrate the many cultures that create our great nation.
The Harmony Fest Program for 2025 is filled with opportunities for all of Ballarat to experience, with more than 20 different events on the calendar.
The flagship event for this year’s festival will be held on Saturday 22 March. Harmony in the Mall will see the Bridge Mall come to life in a burst of colour and cuisine featuring music, dance, food trucks and activities for families.
We are a city that embraces people from a diverse range of backgrounds, which is what makes Harmony Fest so important.
I encourage everyone to come along to Harmony in the Mall to discover the many ways we can celebrate cultural diversity together.
- Mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves
