Hands needed for Pako Festa return

PREPARATIONS are under way for the 41st year of Pako Festa, with the popular multicultural festival returning to Pakington Street after two years away from the Geelong West/Newtown strip.

Event organisers are calling out for more than 100 volunteers from Cultura and the broader Geelong community to assist with general tasks in running the festival, on top of the 3,500 participants from the 22 diverse cultural groups taking part on February 22.

Festival director Luisa La Fornara said the number of volunteers being gathered for this year’s event was the largest in any year of Pako Festa.

“Volunteers continue to play a huge role in running Pako Festa and considering it’s a free community event, volunteers really are the lifeblood of the festival.

“What we’re asking of people who are keen to give us a hand are just general tasks such as handing out programs, assisting with the parade and marshalling the various cultural groups, setting up signage and things like that.

“We’re asking for four-hour shifts from our volunteers to help us bring this year’s event back to full strength.”

The past two years of Pako Festa have been “reimagined” away from Pakington Street, including at the Northern Community Hub in Norlane last year in 2022.

However, with this year’s event returning to its spiritual home, the buzz among organisers is palpable.

“We’re expecting perhaps our largest festival ever this year after not being able to host it properly the past two times, and really reinforce that message of local diversity,” Ms La Fornara added.

“Pako Festa continues to be a wonderful fundraiser for our local community and brings in close to 100,000 people.

“There’s definitely a mixture of nervousness and excitement, but the key message I’m hearing among community cultural groups is the eagerness to share their cultures for the first time in several years.”

To express interest in volunteering for this year’s Pako Festa, head to cultura.org.au/volunteersMore than 100 general volunteers are being sought for next month’s Pako Festa return.