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Sister Cities Festival to Take to the Streets

Celebration of Chinese and Japanese cultures at The Sister Cities Festival.

By Portal Admin - 18th March 2020 - Back to News

The colour and flavours of Chinese and Japanese cultures will transform the central business district of Moe at the Sister Cities Festival.

Marking Latrobe City’s sister city relationships with Takasago in Japan and Taizhou in China, the festival is a celebration of culture aimed to enrich the local community by bringing a little piece of these cultures to the streets of Moe.

To be held within the Moe Service Centre and Library forecourt precinct, the early evening community festival will feature cultural performances including Lion Dancing and Japanese Drumming. The street will come alive in hues of red, gold and yellow with feature stalls, workshops, stage performances and Chinese and Japanese street food.

Latrobe City Council Mayor, Councillor Dan Clancey said that the popular festival event provides the community with an opportunity to be exposed to the rich Chinese and Japanese cultures.

"The Sister Cities Festival is a celebration of Latrobe City’s two sister city relationships, which this year marks 20 years of collaboration. The Festival is aimed to not only enrich our culture, but open our region up on an international stage," Cr Clancey said.

"Since committing to an International Relations Program in 2000, our partnerships have seen cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, science and technology, along with a successful cultural exchange program.

These partnerships provide Latrobe City with a platform to demonstrate internationally what our region has to offer by way of trade and tourism.

"Last year Council endorsed a new international relations strategy, International Engagement and Investment Strategy 2019-2023, which provides a greater focus on trade and investment with the purpose of supporting international trade by Latrobe City businesses. It is important that Council works closely with all levels of government and industry agencies to assist local industry who are interested in export to get support for planning, in-market experience and introductions."

Japanese based companies have a keen interest in Latrobe City. Last year, J-Power launched a hydrogen to brown coal pilot project at Loy Yang Power Station.

The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project, spearheaded by a Japanese-led consortium, will test the feasibility of producing hydrogen from brown coal and shipping it to Japan for use in the domestic market.

The one-year project, led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, will begin mid this year, with production to be handled at a plant adjacent to the Loy Yang Power Station.

The Sister Cities Festival is still seeking a number of authentic Chinese and Japanese themed businesses who are interested in being stallholders. Interested stallholders can email Events@Latrobe.vic.gov.au to express their interest.

Source: www.gippsland.com

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