On 16th Sep 2023, Lutonians were welcomed at East-Fest 2023. The entry was free and there was something for everyone, including plenty of children's activities; so hundreds of people joined in this wonderful multi-artform celebration of Central and Eastern European cultures.
“Over the last decade, the composition of Luton town’s population has changed, with the additions of new Central and Eastern European communities; Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, Ukrainian and many more”, said the key event organiser Sebastian Dolinski of Luton Polish community.
He added, “The aim of the East-Fest is to bring all Luton communities closer together and celebrate our unique cultures. After a successful ‘Polonia Festival 2019’ and ‘East-Fest 2022’, we decided to extend it into a multicultural event, involving even more people.”
At the opening ceremony, the Mayor of Luton Cllr. Mohammed Yaqub Hanif welcomed everyone and thanked the sponsors and organisers for bringing yet another fantastic multicultural event to our town, where over 140 languages are spoken and people from many different religious, cultural, and racial backgrounds coexist peacefully.
Young Bows, a quartet of violinists from Polish & Slovakian backgrounds, enchanted the crowd with their melodious instrumental renditions of cultural and folk tunes as their opening performance.
Promethidion, a children's traditional Polish singing and dance group, was introduced by the British Polish Integration Centre. This small group of children performed songs in both Polish and English while dressed in lovely Polish traditional costumes, and they unquestionably won everyone's hearts.
Next Generation Youth Theatre (NGYT) creates dance & arts opportunities for all young people aged 0 to 25, encouraging ambition and supporting wellbeing. It was wonderful to see some of the NGYT youth do some incredible dance and street theatre.
Ukrainian, Hungarian, and Romanian songs and music were equally astounding.
Toby Friedner, executive producer, writer, presenter, and senior broadcast journalist at BBC 3 Counties Radio, served as the East-Fest event program comparer for the day. He injected energy and vitality into the event by consistently interacting with the general population.
Dhols Royce, a group of Pakistani drummers is starting to show up regularly and is a hit at all the town's multicultural events.
May Luton continue to celebrate its diverse multicultural and religious communities, as well as its intangible heritage and social history!
Promethidion, the British Polish Integration Centre’s (BPIC’s) children's traditional Polish singing and dance group performed songs in both Polish and English languages while dressed in lovely Polish traditional costumes, and they unquestionably won everyone's hearts.
Young Bows, a quartet of violinists from Polish & Slovakian backgrounds, enchanted the crowd with their melodious instrumental renditions of cultural and folk tunes as their opening performance.
At the opening ceremony, the Mayor of Luton Cllr. Mohammed Yaqub Hanif welcomed everyone and thanked the sponsors and organisers for bringing yet another fantastic multicultural event to our town, where over 140 languages are spoken and people from many different religious, cultural, and racial backgrounds coexist peacefully.
A group of British Ukranians proudly posing at the East Fest on 16th Sep 2023.
Event organising Team at the East Fest in St George’s Square, Luton Town Centre on 16th Sep 2023.