Fiesta la Peel 2023 grows to week-long celebration

Fiesta la Peel is celebrating its tenth year in style, expanding from a weekend party to a week-long celebration of the 94 nationalities living in Tamworth, starting on October 14 with brand-new festivities to keep things spicy.

"Fiesta la Peel is a showcase of our multicultural community who call Tamworth home now. We come together through food, art, demonstrations, and lots of different ways to show off our multicultural elements," Tamworth Regional Council Festival and Events Officer Crystal Vero said.

The festival organiser said council is expecting up to 10,000 people "if not more" over the festival's seven days from October 14 to 21.

Residents got to double dip into the popular event last year as the COVID pandemic pushed 2021's fiesta into early 2022.

Last year's events attracted an estimated 5000 attendees each, meaning this year's festival could be bigger than both of them combined.

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Ms Vero said this year will feature a suite of new festivities, starting with "Fiesta Bollywood on Fitzroy" on Saturday, October 14, in Fitzroy Plaza.

This event will feature live traditional and Bollywood dance performances by local dance groups including the Punjworth Bhangra Group.

"It's a night of relaxation, fun, culture, food, and lots of lots of dance ... Indians love to dance" Multicultural Tamworth Vice President and third generation Fiji-Indian Shalini Pratap said.

Bollywood dancing is far from the only new addition Tamworth can look forward to, to fill the festival's expanded schedule.

"We're going to introduce a fashion parade, having people dress up in cultural attire as part of the stage program," Ms Vero said.

An extra treat for local ratepayers is the expansion of the festival didn't come from council's coffers.

"Tamworth Regional Council got an approval for grant funding from the NSW government Stronger Together Festival and Events program, which alongside the funding council puts into this festival, has let us add those additional events," Ms Vero said.

And those additional events will keep on coming as more are expected to be announced when the fiesta draws closer.

"There's going to be a nice Persian thing, but I can't tell you about it yet, some things are still under wraps," Multicultural Tamworth Chair Eddie Whitham said.

When the festival does eventually come to a close on October 21, it'll go out with a two-part bang: the annual main event in Bicentennial Park and a fireworks display on Number 1 Oval.

The events will run from 3pm to 8pm with free entry.

"With a whole week of things happening, that's huge. To be able to go one Saturday to another is a big thing and we've got so many things happening involving so many different people," Mr Whitham said.

Mr Whitham and Ms Pratap said the reason Festival la Peel is so important is the same reason it's successful: it fills a need for people to connect with one another and embrace people from all walks of life.

"It's one of those events that's owned by the community, so everybody feels like they're a part of the event and feels like they belong ... the main aim for all of this is people coming out, enjoying themselves, and connecting. I've made so many friends at Fiesta over the last 10 years," Ms Pratap said.

"We want [migrants] to learn, to settle, to have all the things they need to feel comfortable and to participate in our community, and we want to participate with them," Mr Whitham said.

Tamworth's local MP said migrants help improve Tamworth's social and economic health and organisations like Multicultural Tamworth play a crucial role in welcoming those migrants to the region.

"Tamworth is a connected community. People find when they move here the living is easy, it's a friendly, welcoming community, there are jobs available, and we've got like-minded people," Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson said.

Stallholder applications are open on council's website until the end of September for businesses and community organisations seeking to get involved.

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