Bookings now open for reimagined Pako Festa

PREPARE your tastebuds for the flavours of Geelong’s 19 ethnic communities as Pako Festa officially opens up its bookings.

The festival’s global food offering aims to please the diverse palate’s of event-goers who can sample a range of unique cuisines across 13 designated locations.

Last month event director Luisa LaFornara announced the iconic Geelong West festival would take on a new format after 38 years.

With COVID-19 restrictions still in place, traditional vendors will be replaced by a broader offering of dine-in and takeaway experiences across different locations, each with their own cultural display and entertainment.

Dine-in options will be limited to one location with all reservations and takeaway orders to be made online.

“We need people to pre-book online for a few reasons – it allows us to stagger the arrival times and control numbers, facilitate contact tracing if required and to send out COVIDSafe information to patrons prior to the event as required by the government,” Ms LaFornara said.

Through the online bookings, event-goers will be able to browse the location and menu options for each participating community group.

Ms LaFornara said Geelong’s ethnic communities were looking forward to showcasing their culture through the new format.

“We hear time and time again how much people enjoy the multicultural food at Pako Festa each year, so we are delighted that we can continue to offer this for people to enjoy in 2021 in a COVIDSafe way,” she said.

All proceeds raised through online food purchases will be donated back to the ethnic communities to help the ongoing sustainability of their respective groups.

Time slots will be available for February 27 between 10.30am-4pm. To confirm your reservation head to bookings.pakofesta.com.au

Event-goers are being strongly encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment.