2012 OzAsia Festival to Close This Weekend with Indian Music Star Kailash Kher

As the 2012 OzAsia Festival draws to a triumphant close this weekend, the annual celebration of cultural diversity has succeeded on multiple levels, to date boasting five sold out performances and events, great critical acclaim and audience feedback .

This Festival continues to increase its engagement with community groups, schools and businesses across with its various cultural offerings and box office to date is up 5% on last year.

The Festival played host to 20 performances and 73 events featuring 300 artists and presenters, and boasted four world premieres, four Australian premieres, four South Australian premieres and seven Australian Exclusives.

The Festival concludes this Sunday when Elder Park will be lit in a dazzling array of lanterns at this year’s Moon Lantern Parade, the biggest in the history of the event, with 41 signature lanterns, 9 schools, 30 community groups and literally hundreds of people parading in Elder Park. The Moon Lantern Festival is a celebration of inclusiveness and a symbol of the harmony and brightness of our diverse community. If last year is anything to go by, more than 20,000 are expected to converge in Elder Park, a fitting way to mark the conclusion of the OzAsia Festival.

A pivotal night on the State’s cultural calendar, the Moon Lantern Festival commences on Sunday from 3pm and features martial arts, calligraphy, origami, cooking demonstrations and workshops. This year’s event also includes food and market stalls, plus a number of performances by various community groups on the main stage, culminating in an energetic and colourful Indian dance finale featuring Indian dance from classical to folk and Bollywood, followed by the unforgettable Moon Lantern Parade and a spectacular fireworks display. The event will be hosted on stage by Annette Shun Wah and Jane Reilly.

OzAsia Festival Director Jacinta Thompson says, “We welcome all to come and witness this breathtakingly beautiful display of harmony and embrace Australia’s multicultural landscape. It truly is an incredible experience as diverse groups unite carrying the symbolic light of their traditions wherein the spirit of inclusiveness knows no cultural divide.”

Lord Mayor of Adelaide Stephen Yarwood says “Adelaide City Council has been a proud supporter of the OzAsia Festival since 2007, it’s a great way to connect with our Asian neighbours and celebrate our artistic and cultural ties. A particular highlight for me is the annual Moon Lantern Festival in Elder Park which literally lights up the Riverbank – I encourage everyone to put the 30th of September in their diaries, get the family together and join in the fun.”

In addition to the Moon Lantern Festival, final weekend events on the closing weekend include:

· The final sold out performance of the incredibly moving world premiere of Cambodia Sun Rising, directed by Cate Fowler in association with Geraldine Cox AM, founder of Sunrise Villages. This performance portrays the emerging hope, inspiration and bravery brimming from 30 young Cambodians at the Space Theatre on 29 September

· Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company’s poetic and beautiful dance double bill fresh from the Edinburgh 2012 Festival, Uncharted Seas and Timeless at the Dunstan Playhouse on 28 and 29 September

· Direct from Mumbai and exclusive to Adelaide audiences, Indian music mega star Kailash Kher along with his eight-piece band Kailasa will mesmerise Festival-goers in their first Adelaide performance as they ignite the Festival Theatre stage on 29 September.

And if you haven’t had a chance to indulge in the cultural offerings of the Festival, check out a film this weekend or attend the many FREE visual arts exhibitions which remain on show to the public: Reflect, an installation by artist collective Ramta Drig in the Artspace runs until 7 October whilst Beyond the Self: Contemporary Portraiture from Asia and Irrational and Idiosyncratic finish on Sunday at Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art. Also concluding on Sunday is The Perfect Finish exhibition at the Art Gallery, showcasing Asian lacquerware treasures. Teeth of the Rice Plant, political art from Indonesia and China is featured at the Art Gallery of South Australia until 2 December. The Needle on the Gauge curated by Ranjit Hoskote at the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia (CACSA) runs until 21 October.

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