Historic Nepal Festival 2024: Premier and Thousands Celebrate Together

Sydney, Australia – The Nepal Festival 2024 concluded successfully in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With the participation of thousands of attendees, the festival effectively promoted Nepalese art, culture, and traditions. For the first time in history, the cultural parade that began at Town Hall caused road closures on some streets in Sydney. With council approval and police escort, the parade managed to capture the attention of many Sydneysiders.

The parade, accompanied by traditional musical bands, started at Town Hall and concluded at the event venue, Darling Harbour. The Nepal Festival ran from 12 PM to 10 PM, featuring more than 35 stalls. These stalls showcased Nepalese cuisine and businesses operated by Nepalese, alongside active participation from Australian commercial organizations.

For the first time, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns attended the festival, marking a historic moment as no Premier had ever participated in a Nepal Festival before. Opposition Liberal Party leader Mark Speakman also attended, along with New South Wales Multicultural Minister Steve Kamper.

Speaking at the event, Chief Guest Premier Chris Minns remarked, “This grand festival with thousands of attendees is not taking place in Nepal or anywhere else in the world, but right here in Sydney, Australia. It is a matter of pride to be part of this Nepalese community event.”

Speakers at the event openly praised the contributions of Nepalese people to Australia’s development and multicultural society.

The Nepal House was the main attraction of the festival, featuring replicas of Nepalese landmarks such as Dharahara, Pashupatinath Temple, and the Boudhanath Stupa.

The Australian government recognized this event, organized by the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), as a significant occasion, providing financial support of AUD 50,000.

To make the festival entertaining, performances were given by Nepalese artists in Australia, along with musical acts by popular performers such as The Edge Band, Astha Raut, and Hemant Sharma.

NRNA Australia President Anil Pokhrel noted that the Nepal Festival fostered unity among the Nepalese community in Australia. He also highlighted the historic participation of various ethnic communities. Speaking on behalf of the festival’s major sponsor, Grace International Education and Visa, Director Ramchandra Paudel emphasized their commitment to contributing to the community despite challenging circumstances.

The event was inaugurated with a welcome address by NRNA NSW State Committee Coordinator Binod Kunwar, and greetings were delivered by ICC Vice President Binod Shrestha, ICC Secretary Dr. Gyanendra Regmi, Oceania Regional Coordinator Dinesh Pokhrel, NSW Consul Sanjeev Sharma, Victoria Consul Nirajan Gauli, and former Oceania Regional Coordinator Dinesh Joshi.

The program was emceed by General Secretary Santosh Kunwar and NSW Secretary Kalyan Khadka.