Participation Policy

Objective of the National Multicultural Festival

The key objective of the annual National Multicultural Festival is to provide a platform for the celebration of the rich cultural diversity of the Australian Capital Territory through the participation by members of multicultural community groups showcasing their respective cultural traditions and heritage. This event aligns with the ACT Government’s vision of a socially inclusive and interactive society, one in which everyone in the community feels valued and has the opportunity to participate fully in the life of our society.

The National Multicultural Festival is also used as a vehicle to promote languages as required by the 2010-2013 ACT Multicultural Strategy.

Purpose of the Participation Policy

The dual purpose of this Participation Policy is to provide a framework that ensures that the opportunity exists for all members of Canberra’s ethnic community groups wishing to showcase their respective cultural traditions can do so as stallholders or as performers, as well as to ensure the financial viability of the event into the future.

Dates for the 2012 National Multicultural Festival

The 2012 National Multicultural Festival will be staged from 10 February to 12 February 2012. A printed program of the 2012 event will be available in January 2012.

Guidelines for Stall Holders

All stall holders in the 2012 National Multicultural Festival must be incorporated bodies and registered as an organisation under the Associations Act 1991 or under the auspices of an incorporated body.

All stall holders must have public liability insurance to the value of no less than $10 million.

All stall holders selling alcoholic beverages must include food for public consumption or heritage and traditional items at the point of sale and must apply for a liquor licensing permit.

Stalls found not to comply with requirements as outlined in the Stall holder Information Sheet, including appropriate tagging of electrical equipment and liquor licensing requirements will be shut down.

Charging Regime

For public safety reasons, the maximum number of stalls available in the Canberra city footprint of the 2012 National Multicultural Festival will be 256 (3X3) stalls for each of the three days of the event, (please note that where 6X3 stalls are allocated that will reduce the number of stalls overall).

Specifically, the following allocations will apply for the Food and Dance Spectacular (Saturday 11 February 2012)

  • Community groups – total number of stalls 156 (3X3)
  • Diplomatic Missions – total number of stalls 70 (3X3)
  • Commercial stall holders – total number of stalls 30 (3X3)

Stall holders applying to participate for the three days will be given preference for location in the footprint and will remain at the same site for the duration of the event.

CBD businesses will be given preference over commercial operators to participate and will be charged at the commercial rate.

Stalls will be allocated based around a number of factors including:

  • stall holders who make payment at the time of application;
  • stall holders who commit to participating for the duration of the event (Friday, Saturday and Sunday); and
  • demand for Friday (10 February 2012) and Sunday (12 February 2012) of the event.

Where goods (food/craft) are being sold, the following charges will apply:

  • Community stalls 6X3 @ $450 (per day – Sat)
  • Community stalls 3X3 @ $230 (per day – Sat)
  • Community Stalls 6x3 @ $250 (per day – Fri/Sun)
  • Community Stalls 3X3 @ $120 (per day – Fri/Sun)
  • Community Stalls 6X3 @ $800 (for all days of event – Fri/Sat/Sun)
  • Community Stalls 3X3 @ $500 (for all days of event – Fri/Sat/Sun)
  • Commercial stalls 6X3 @ $2,750 (per day - Sat)
  • Commercial stalls 3X3 @ $1,980 (per day – Sat)
  • Commercial stalls 6X3 @ $1,650 (per day – Fri/Sun)
  • Commercial stalls 3X3 @ $1,100 (per day – Fri/Sun)
  • Commercial stalls 6X3 @ $4,950 (for all days of event – Fri/Sat/Sun)
  • Commercial stalls 3X3 @ $3,080 (for all days of event – Fri/Sat/Sun)

All information stalls (3X3) are free. If an increase in stall size is required, there will be a charge of $230 for each additional 3X3 information stall.

Stall holders must make payment by cheque, EFT or money order at the time of submitting their application. All Festival application forms are available from the Office of Multicultural Affairs or online at www.multiculturalfestival.com.au.

Stall holders with outstanding fees from previous festivals will be excluded from participating in the 2012 event.

Applicants wishing to seek a waiver of the stall charges should do so in writing to:

Director
Office of Multicultural, Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander Affairs
Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre
GPO Box 158
Canberra ACT 2601

Written cases for waiver of the charges will be consideredONLY where community groups can demonstrate financial hardship and plausible reasons for not applying for financial assistance under available grants programs.

Implementation Timetable

Applications for participation in the 2012 National Multicultural Festival will close on Friday 4 November 2011.

Stalls will be allocated in December 2011. If the number of applications for stalls exceeds the available number of stalls, then a ballot system will be used to allocate the stalls for the Food and Dance Spectacular on Saturday 11 February 2012, with priority given to those organisations who have committed to three day participation.

Applicants who do not receive a stall for the Food and Dance Spectacular will be able to negotiate stalls for the Friday or Sunday of the event and/or be placed on a reserve list for Saturday.

Stall allocations will be confirmed and letters/maps sent to successful applicants by no later than mid December 2011.

Stall allocations will also be announced at the Information Session for stall holders in December 2011. All participants are encouraged to attend this valuable, informative session.

Entertainment Policy Guidelines

Local multicultural community groups who wish to showcase their cultural traditions through performances will be given preference in the allocation of performance slots on the stages during the 2012 Festival.

All groups interested in participating in the Festival as performers must submit a formal application which includes a brief description of their performance and provide information on the age range of the performers by 4 November 2011, including any special sound, lighting or other requirements.

Community groups that receive multicultural grants to perform at the Festival must complete the standard application form available on the website and through the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and make themselves known to the Entertainment Coordinator by 4 November 2011.

In order to perform, performance groups should be present at the pre-allocated stage on the day at least 30 minutes before the allocated time slot for the performance.

For more information, please visit the website: www.multiculturalfestival.com.au

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