West Fest

Overview

In a single day in western Sydney, it's possible to travel halfway across the world with just your tastebuds. Start with authentic Vietnamese pho in Cabramatta, move onto a Sri Lankan feast in Toongabbie and taste your way through an array of Indian sweets in Harris Park. Each and every neighbourhood contains a world of tastes, smells and sounds.

To celebrate this rich culinary and cultural diversity, West Fest will take over western Sydney for two colourful weeks. Until Sunday, October 21, venture up the Parramatta River for an extravaganza of food, song, dance and live music with tours, forums, workshops, performances and loads more on offer.

Among the stand-out events is the West Fest Forum, Western Sydney's answer to the Festival of Dangerous Ideas (but it's free). This evening of chats, to be held in the luxe Skye Hotel on Thursday, October 18, is all about who we are and how we relate to our diverse identities through architecture and culture. Speakers include Africultures Festival director Fatma Isir and Sydney Living Museums' Jacqui Newling.

Look out, too, for the pop-up VR cinema at Daisy's Milkbar during Parramatta Lanes, the Western Sydney Final of the Australian Poetry Slam on Thursday, October 11; a Taste of the World food tour in Liverpool on Saturday, October 13; and a guided tour of the Badu mangroves through the eyes of the Wangal people on Sunday, October 21.

For more information on the West Fest program, visit the website.

Image: Australian Poetry Slam, Clare Hawley, courtesy of NSW Government.