First Kiamasala Festival brings a taste of India to Kiama

Step into the fascinating and diverse world of Indian culture when the inaugural Kiamasala festival comes to the foreshore of Black Beach in Kiama on Sunday, November 5.

Kiamasala is a free event featuring live music, Bollywood and classical dance, authentic regional Indian dishes in a ‘street food alley’ market stalls, henna artists and more.

Start the day with a morning yoga session, led by Swati Sharma at 8:30am, and enjoy a warm, fresh Chai tea afterwards. Listen to the sound of the Indian drummers while enjoying a picnic at the alcohol-free family-friendly festival. Special guest DJ Bali from Sydney will be bringing his signature Bollywood, Bhangra and Asian fusion beats to the seaside town.

Enjoy demonstrations and Bollywood dance workshops from the Nachle Dance School, which aims to to introduce the fabulous Bollywood style of dancing to the Illawarra. Be mesmerised by the stage performances of Kathakali – billed as "a classical dance-drama that blends intricate movements, elaborate costumes and powerful storytelling". Festivalgoers can enjoy the spectacle of makeup being applied and hear the stories of the characters the makeup colours represent, be it heroes, villains or even supernatural beings.

Directors Tom Oxley and Cameron McDonald had the idea to highlight Indian culture within the region because of their own links to the country through family and travel, explains Tom. They assembled a cultural committee to help organise a festival, which was thought to be the perfect vehicle to present the region outwardly as an attractive option for study, migration and business. The cultural committee brought together business leaders from the area such as Pritpal Singh Saini -the director of the local JJs Indian Restaurants who organised the street food alley.

With its approximately 3500 Indian students, the University of Wollongong were keen to be involved as a sponsor, says Tom, having recently announced plans to open a campus in the Gujarat Finance Tec-city of Gandhinagar. A finance tec-city being somewhere ‘both Indian and international banks can provide international banking services within the country.’

The event has caught the attention of the NSW government who have provided a photographer to capture the day while several important sponsors including the University of Wollongong, Avcon, Kiama Diagnostics and Destination Kiama have helped make the festival possible.

Kiamasala fast facts

Where: Black Beach Kiama

When: Sunday Nov 5

Time: 10.30am-4.30pm (Yoga at 8:30am)

Follow: Kiamasalafestival on on Facebook and Instagram

www.kiamasalafestival.com.au