Excitement is building for Ipswich’s tenth multicultural festival this weekend.
The One Big Multicultural Festival returns to Alexandra Park this Sunday after a two-year absence.
“There’s quite a buzz going,” said one of the festival organisers, Shayra Begum.
Hosted by the BSC Multicultural Services, the day will be packed with food from around the world, live music, dancing and games for all the family.
This will be the tenth festival to hit Ipswich, and BSC Multicultural Services are be celebrating bringing to together people from all walks of life for over a decade.
Some prominent performers will be in attendance this year.
“We always have a balance of local performers and bigger names,” said Shayra. “We love to give smaller performers a chance as well, and we’ve got a great balance this year.
“The names get bigger and better every year!”
This year’s line-up includes Viramundo, widely regarded as the UK and Europe’s longest established Brazilian/Latin band, and voted the best musical band in 2013.
Joining them will be internationally acclaimed band Kasai Masai. Based in London, the band says its music “[mixes] the traditional sound of the equatorial African village with a distinctive urban edge.”
“Our event always provides something for everybody,” Shayra continued.
“So, we have things for the children, like fairground rides.
“Then for people who like sport, we have five-a-side football, Kabaddi, and Carrom, a traditional Asian game.
Carrom, Shayra explained, is a similar game to pool, but played with your fingers. Kabaddi is an Asian wrestling sport, and festival-goers are welcome to join in on the day.
She added: “For food, we will have various food stalls, then dance and music – something for everyone.”
Shayra said that excitement was building to welcome the event back to Ipswich, after it was forced to take a two-year hiatus during the pandemic.
“Our main jobs are supporting people in the community,” she explained. “During lockdown, we changed the way we worked by providing food packages and emergency support.
“Some people are finding it a bit difficult to get back into the flow of things, so It’s been a bit more of a challenge this year than previous years – but we’re getting there!”
The One Multicultural Day is a free event, running from 12pm to 6pm on Sunday, September 4 in Alexandra Park.
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