CULTURAL VILLAGES
Maitland Riverlights will have representations from over 50 cultures, including 25 Cultural Villages that you can visit!
At each village you will learn about cultural traditions, language, art, cuisine, games and more importantly, each other.
CULTURAL COMMUNITY GROUPS 2026
- Afghanistan Community
- Australian Iranian Community of Newcastle
- Common Ground Multicultural Dance Group
- Filipino Language Class
- Hunter Sinhala School
- Indonesian Australian Community Newcastle and Hunter Region
- Kenya Wananchi Newcastle
- Newcastle Papua New Guinean Cultural Community
- Newcastle Polish Community
- Newcastle Tamil Sangam
- Nigerian Community of Newcastle and Hunter Region
- North Sudanese Community
- Persian Speaking Culture of Afghanistan
- Roots & Rhythms of Bangladesh
- Samoan Community
- South African Community
- South Sudanese Community
- Sri Lankan Women’s Network Newcastle and Hunter
- Studies of Language Association (SoLA)
- Syrian House
- The Russian Speaking Community of Newcastle and Hunter
- Tibetan Community of Newcastle
- Tonga Petani Community Services
- University of Newcastle French Society
- University of Newcastle Nepalese Club
CULTURAL VILLAGE FOOD OFFERINGS
| GROUP | FOOD OFFERING |
|---|---|
| Filipino Language Class |
Filipino sweet delicacies Pre packaged desserts |
| Australian Iranian Community of Newcastle | Iranian tea, biscuits, cake and soup |
| Newcastle Tibetan Community |
Tibetan Momo (Dumplings) Vegtarian and Beef options |
| Nigerian Community Group |
Puff Puff Popular, traditional West African street food made from sweet, deep-fried balls of yeast dough |
| Newcastle Papua New Guinean Cultural Community | Traditional sago, and casava native foods |
| Newcastle Tamil Sangam |
Ready-to-eat snack food including individual piece of cake,murukku. Paruthithurai vadai, and boondi laddu |
| University of Newcastle Nepalese Club |
Nepalese snacks Selroti - Nepali fried rice bread & Aaluko achaar - Nepalese potato pickle and Mohi (buttermilk) |
| Afghanistan Community Group |
Bolani Popular, pan-fried stuffed flatbread from Afghanistan with a thin, crispy crust and a savory filling |
| North Sudanese Community Group |
Experience traditional North Sudanese hospitality with tea and coffee alongside popular sweet treats including Basbousa (semolina cake) and Zalabia (fried dough sweets) |
| South African Community Group |
Bunny chow bread with a traditional South African Curry filling and Vetkoek & mince - fried bread with curry mince filling |
| South Sudanese Community Group | Curries with meat and okra and rice |
| Roots & Rhythms of Bangladesh | Chicken, lamb & vegetable biryani |
| Samoan Community Group | Traditional Samoan flavours, with Samoan chop suey, taro, steamed rice buns and lamb curry |
| Syrian House | Traditional coffee & tea and Syrian sweets, vegan falafel wraps, vegetarian vine leaves. |
The Cultural Passport is your guide to Maitland Riverlights. Use it to explore the performances, workshops, demonstrations and Cultural Villages throughout the event. Sample traditional food offerings, play board games, listen to music from around the world and explore a variety of henna art. Don’t forget to get your Cultural Passport stamped along the way as a souvenir for your visit.
Passports are free and will be handed out from various locations during the event.
STAMP YOUR PASSPORT
Learn about cultural traditions, language, art, cuisine, games and more importantly, each other at the Cultural Villages. Visit each one and collect a stamp in your official Riverlights Cultural Passport.
EXPLORE MORE
RIVERLIGHTS STAGE
See a range of local and national bands captivating audiences with a range of performances influenced from across the globe.
SOUND GARDEN INSTALLATION
Walkthrough an interactive cultural ‘garden’ experience, connecting to the sounds, patterns, colours and aromas of our local multicultural communities.