A better Pakington Street for Geelong’s biggest street festival

EVERY year Pakington Street becomes a sea of colour and humanity as Victoria’s largest free multicultural street festival comes to town.

Pako Festa holds a special place in my heart.

I remember attending the very first festa in 1983 as a 22-year-old, joining a lively, colourful and optimistic crowd of 12,000 people celebrating the cultures that make up our great city.

As a former chair of Geelong Ethnic Communities Council, now known as Cultura, I was privileged to be involved in the festival and witness it grow and flourish year after year.

Now Pako Festa attracts well over 100,000 people to Pakington Street and this year’s event was the biggest yet.

This is why council is boosting its support for Pako Festa in the 2026–27 budget from $100,000 to $120,000.

The extra funding will support Cultura in putting on its flagship festival as it continues to grow and thrive.

And Pakington Street will be even more vibrant and beautiful in time for the 2027 Pako Festa next February following a makeover of this bustling cosmopolitan retail strip.

Last month we finished upgrading multiple stretches of footpath delivering safer, more durable and accessible walkways for the thousands of people who visit Pakington Street every week.

The project responded directly to community feedback about the previous footpaths, which were built about 30 years ago and were due for renewal.

Pakington Street’s businesses are at the heart of what makes this precinct so special, creating local jobs, supporting community organisations and offering unique experiences that keep people coming back.

Maintaining and enhancing the public spaces around them helps ensure they remain vibrant and competitive for years to come.

And there is even more to look forward to on Pakington Street.

A brand-new pocket park is planned for the corner of Pakington and Yuille streets, transforming an underutilised space into a welcoming place that supports connection, informal gatherings, public art and everyday enjoyment.

The park will feature new paving, seating and beautification works, creating an inviting space that celebrates the rich cultural identity that has defined Pako for generations.

It will enhance the site for future cultural programming and events like Pako Festa that strengthen inclusion, local pride and the precinct’s reputation as one of Geelong’s most popular destinations.

We’ll also complete addition footpath upgrades as part of this project, working closely with Pakington Street Business Association, traders and residents to minimise impacts on the local community.

The project has been developed in partnership with the association and community groups, with further community input to help shape the final design.

Supported by a $250,000 Victorian government grant, alongside a $75,000 city contribution, it is another example of how we are investing in the future of this much-loved precinct.

Together, these projects will ensure Pakington Street remains a place where people can gather, celebrate, shop and connect for many years to come.

When the crowds return for Pako Festa, they will enjoy a street that is safer, more welcoming and better equipped to showcase the diversity, energy and pride that have made this festival such an enduring success.