Multicultural organisations can apply for funding for events to be held between March and June this year.
Acting Minister for Multicultural Affairs Shaun Leane opened the Multicultural Festivals and Events Program, aimed at helping diverse communities to come together in a COVIDSafe way in order to celebrate their culture and traditions.
In March, Victoria’s Greek community will celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Greek Independence – a significant occasion on the cultural calendar. The state government will invest $200,000 to support celebrations, an election commitment which had been made to Victorian Greeks who make up the largest Greek population in the world outside of Greece.
“I can’t wait to see Victorians out celebrating the 200th anniversary of Greek independence in March, our dedicated $200,000 funding will help it be COVIDSafe but importantly, a milestone to remember,” the minister said. “We have much to celebrate here in Victoria and this funding will ensure that, after such a challenging year, festivals and events are supported to take place.
The funding recognises the important role of community connection and celebration and is geared towards celebrating events held either in person or in digital form. A requirement of the program is for in-person events to adhere to the COVIDSafe Public Events Framework.
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The Organisational Council for Greek National Day is made up of representatives from all of Victoria’s major Greek organisations and has been busy planning and programming the events to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the 1821 Greek Revolution.
Tony Tsourdalakis, Chairman of the committee, welcomed the announcement for funding. “The Victorian Program has a plethora of events totaling over 130 different starting in January and ending in December which will be presented by over 90 different Organisations, federations, School: Parishes and community groups,” he said.
Amongst may other events, it is expected that Greek evzones will head to Victoria from Greece in October instead of the 25 March Greek Independence Day celebration due to COVID-19. The cost of this is to be subsidized by the state government.
Meeting with Greek Australians at an online presentation by The Hellenic Initiative, Greece 2021 President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki said that 36 of the 318 countries outside of Greece were from Australia, whereas a total of 1,800 event proposals were planned around the world for this year.
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Minister Leane said that funding given by the Multicultural Festival and Events Program “will celebrate our rich cultural diversity whilst supporting the revitalisation of Victoria’s economy”.
Applications close 3pm on Wednesday, 3 February. For more information or to apply, visit vic.gov.au/multicultural-festivals-and-events-program.
* Do you want to know more? Don’t miss Neos Kosmos’ dedication to 1821 Greek Independence Day celebrations in Australia in Thursday’s Greek edition (14 January) and Saturday’s bilingual edition (16 January).