The 2017 Multicultural Festival (Sunday, 5 November) is shaping up to be the biggest and brightest yet, with more than 75 community groups representing 45 ethnicities registered to take part.

Almost 50 groups will stage performances and activities, and dozens of food and display stalls will give an expected 80,000 people a taste our State’s cultural diversity.

The biennial festival is one of the largest of its kind in Australia and will transform Rundle Mall into a hub of multicultural sights and sounds.

From musicians playing the traditional Indonesian bamboo instruments called Anklung to South American, African, Middle Eastern and European foods to oriental fan making, there will be something for everyone.

Information about the festival is at www.multicultural.sa.gov.au/multicultural-festival

The festival was first held in 2013 as a way of promoting and celebrating South Australia’s ethnic diversity.

Community groups can showcase their cultural heritage through art, craft, food, dance, music and activities.

The State Government offered grants earlier this year to assist groups with the cost of taking part.

Quotes attributable to Communities and Social Inclusion Minister Zoe Bettison

The Multicultural Festival is a wonderful free event that celebrates the diversity of the cultures that make up South Australia.

Our State is home to people from more than 200 countries, and about 230,000 South Australians speak languages other than English at home.

The festival is an opportunity for people to celebrate that diversity, and to experience foods and activities they might not have tried. It also provides a chance to meet some of our newer migrant communities.

We had 62 community groups at the 2015 event and I’m pleased that the interest in this festival continues to grow.