Celebration will be a colourful festival of Watford's diverse cultures and faiths, showcasing and sharing each other's music, dance, drama,
costume and food.
There will be the opportunity
to taste a range
of foods from different cultures
who have kindly
offered to cook their specialities.
There will also be a variety of interesting stalls
and a sacred space, for those who would like to
explore each
other's beliefs and values.
The venue
has been kindly sponsored by Elected Mayor
Dorothy Thornhill. The National Lottery has also
provided £10,000 through the Awards for
All
scheme, for other relevant expenses and a
follow
on community programme for real, positive
change run by the FREdome Visionary Trust.
The first Celebration event was held at the Multi Cultural Community Centre in Watford on 24th September 2005. It brought together people from Watford’s diverse cultures and faiths, who contributed and shared each other’s music, dance, recitations and food.
It was so successful that we were encouraged to scale up next time to a larger venue, such as the Colosseum.
This year’s wholly inclusive event at the Watford Colosseum also includes arts, business, education, charitable and voluntary groups.
And so, on Bank Holiday Monday 28th May 2007, despite horizontal rain and a fallen tree inhibiting access to the venue, an estimated 2,500 people of diverse nationalities, ages, abilities, beliefs and cultures gathered at the Watford Colosseum for Celebration 2007. All the communities represented bonded enthusiastically and had a brilliant time.
Doors will open to the general public at 10:30, opening at 11 am with an address from our celebrity / organisers. There will be stage performances and floor-shows throughout the day, with regular intervals to allow you to visit and concentrate on the variety of stalls and activities.
An area in the side wing, which we are calling the sacred space, will be reserved for different faith communities to share their beliefs and values. Child-friendly activities will also be going on, to keep youngsters amused.
There will be a quiet area for those who would like to socialise with others in the community. Food from multiple nations will be served in this area between noon and 2pm, and on-going refreshments will be available all day.
The day will finish with a grand finale, drawing in the whole community and ending on a high note.
