Maitland Riverlights Festival

Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland—Minister for Regional Transport and Roads)—Maitland's Levee transformed into a global village on Saturday 12 October with dance, food and music filling the streets thanks to the Maitland Riverlights Festival. An estimated 10,000 enthusiastic attendees over the five-day festival were able to see, taste, feel and experience over 40 different cultures from around the world by sampling food, music, dance, language and heritage at the bright and vibrant stalls, presentations and workshops. Riverlights has become a key event on the Maitland community calendar since its inception in 2012 and is delivered thanks to the support of Destination NSW 'Regional Event Fund', the Multicultural NSW 'Stronger Together' grant plus Maitland City Council. The Saturday event kicked off with Maitland welcoming 17 new Australian citizens – a true symbol of the multicultural community we enjoy. This year's Ambassador, Adam Liaw, featured in the Global Kitchen whipping up a batch of pancakes with a distinctive multicultural twist. The 5-day event finale on the banks of the Hunter River was a standout with a spectacular lantern parade from The Levee Shared Zone, a lantern river flotilla, music, dance and a dynamic light show. Maitland was truly awash with colour and culture thanks to the Riverlights event.