On Sunday, March 20, Shepparton’s Albanian community held its annual Harvest Festival at the Queens Gardens, showcasing its culture through food, dance and music, as well as providing fresh produce of the season.
After two years of the event being cancelled due to COVID-19, Shepparton Albanian Moslem Society president Reg Qemal said this was the biggest Harvest Festival the community had seen.
The event was full, with more than 5000 people attending.
“The event has been the largest festival that we have had in over 20 years and it is the largest Albanian festival in Australia,” he said.
“I’m very proud to be a first-generation Albanian migrant.”
Attendees queued to try everything from traditional petulla doughnuts to snow cones.
Families and friends held hands and danced in unison as they performed Albanian dances.
“This event is important to showcase the Albanian culture to the wider community, and to also reconnect the Albanian community of Australia together,” Mr Qemal said.
He also wanted to highlight the importance of the volunteers at the event.
“It’s the volunteers that make the difference; without the volunteers that all come from the Albanian community, the event would not happen,” he said.
Shepparton Albanian Women’s Committee secretary Mary Ahmet has been volunteering at the festival since it started more than 20 years ago.
She said it felt “overwhelming” to see the progress of the event and how it had been able to reach the broader community.
“It has evolved, and we’re encouraging everybody to come, and seeing non-Albanians come is really heart-warming,” she said.