Livin’ la vida Marlborough

The many peoples making up Marlborough joined to celebrate cultures together through food, music, dance and fun at the region’s Multicultural Festival on Saturday.

Pollard Park was alive with sights, sounds, smells from around the world. Plenty of eager guests flocked to the annual festival, which included country-based and community-focused stalls offering everything from regional delicacies to health checks and community information.

Marlborough Multicultural Centre’s Marcelo Gonzalez said that the Festival continues to be bigger, brighter and more popular each year, thanks to the eager support of people who make the day possible.

“From having the 68 stalls, 20 more than last year, sell out within two months last year, Ewa Zielinska curate the perfomances from across the world, and the crowd getting involved in performances, I was proud of the big festival atmosphere and energy all day.

“This festival is continually growing with country diversity both in stalls and on stage, but also how many people from communities are getting involved, and that reflects the wider Marlborough community – there’s many long-time supporters, but it’s always good to see new faces.”

Marcelo says that while attendees make the day, the work of sponsors and volunteers is what really makes it happen - and with the Multicultural Centre turning 20 in 2026, he’s hoping for an even bigger fiesta next year.

“The Multicultural Festival only happens because of everyone working together, so special thanks to our volunteer coordinator Osmeth Vides Contreras and her 40 volunteers, Volunteer Marlborough, Marlborough Girls’ College, the Māori Wardens and our sponsors at Marlborough District Council, the Ministry of Social Development and the Tindall Foundation,” added organiser Marcelo Gonzalez.

“We’re very happy with the day, but we know we can make it even bigger and better and are keen to learn from the people who attended, so we’d love to hear from people for our 20th anniversary festival.”