Awaken The Senses: Newcastle’s Cultural Feast

by Nick Turner on September 6, 2011

University of Newcastle students have the opportunity to celebrate our city’s amazing cultural diversity this week, with the popular Cultural Awakenings Festival once again kicking off at the Callaghan campus.

The week long event gives students, staff and community members the chance to experience the art, music, food and drink of our diverse multicultural student population.

With more than 80 different countries represented at the University of Newcastle, the week is the perfect opportunity to ditch the Vegemite sandwich and immerse yourself in one of the many different cultures being explored during the week long event.

Monday saw the Pride of Nations march, which gave the University’s international students time to get out of their jeans and t-shirt’s and show off some of the traditional dress of their respective homelands. There was also an official opening for the festival, where local indigenous representatives were in attendance and a traditional dance from the Minning Minni Kaiwarine group was performed.

Tuesday sees a day of live performances at both the Bar on the Hill and in the Derkenne Courtyard. This all starts from 12 noon and is followed by the screening of the Korean film, The Housemade.

Wednesday is yet another day of live performances between 12 noon and 2pm, followed by one of the festival’s highlights, the International Beer Tasting event. For $10, students can sample a variety of beers matched with international cuisine. What a bargain! Tickets can either be pre-purchased at the Campus Life office prior to the event (just inside the Bar on the Hill) or on the day. The day wraps up with the screening of French-Canadian director Xavier Dolan’s film Heartbeats.

Thursday sees a bit of a quieter day with live performances again being held at various spots around the university, before the screening of the Bille Woodruff film Honey, starring Jessica Alba.

Friday is the festival’s main day with the International Food Fair beginning outside the Bar on the Hill at 11am. Participants from a hugely diverse range of nations cook up a storm and offer delights from their traditional nations. Last year there were over 20 food stalls with countries such as China, Great Britain, Papua New Guinea, Poland and Thailand all represented.

The day finishes off with more live performances followed by a Latin Dance Party at the Bar on the Hill. This is where you can work off all those extra calories you’ve stacked on from earlier in the day whilst you tango, cha-cha and salsa your night away.

So mark it in your diaries and make the trip out to Callaghan to put a little bit of culture into your week.

For more details, visit the website or email the university.