Global Voices: The Community
Languages Multicultural Festival
Community Languages Victoria's inaugural Multicultural Festival brings member schools together for an afternoon of performance, culture and connection. Free entry, all welcome.
Planning for early 2027, subject to approvals. No new date is final.
New date to be confirmed
Global Voices has been postponed due to forecast adverse weather. The festival will not take place on Sunday 25 October 2026. A replacement date is being planned for early 2027, subject to approvals and confirmation of arrangements.
The previously advertised event times, program, flyer and arrival instructions no longer apply. Please wait for updated event information before making attendance or travel arrangements.
We will share the revised date, venue arrangements and program once confirmed. For questions, email [email protected].
One Stage, Every Language
For as long as CLV has existed, our schools have celebrated their cultures separately: in classrooms, in community centres, during evenings and weekends. Global Voices is the first time all of them will share one stage.
Community Languages Victoria is the peak body for community language schools across Victoria, supporting a network of more than 200 member schools teaching 55 languages to more than 40,000 students. Most of that work happens quietly: professional learning for teachers, governance support for school committees, advocacy in rooms most families never see. Global Voices is different. It's the first time we've stepped outside that work to build something public, in the open, for everyone.
This is CLV's inaugural large-scale public festival, and it exists because community language schools rarely get to be seen by the wider community. They carry identity, history and intergenerational knowledge, but that work usually stays out of public view. Global Voices puts it centre stage: a free, family-friendly event that invites all Victorians, not just our school communities, to see, hear and take part in the cultures our students carry every week.
Young people are at the heart of it. Every performance, stall and activity station is designed to put students forward as cultural ambassadors, giving them a genuine public platform to share their language and heritage with confidence and pride. CLV sees this first festival as the foundation for something that returns every year and grows.
About the Day
Global Voices is designed to bring CLV's member schools together for one afternoon of student performances, cultural stalls, interactive language activities and food from across our school communities. Free entry, open to the public, and built entirely around the schools that make up CLV's network.
This Year's Theme
Schools are exploring cultural identity and heritage, migration stories and lived experience, language as identity, intergenerational connection, and tradition alongside contemporary expression through performance.
- ✓ Cultural identity and heritage
- ✓ Migration stories and lived experience
- ✓ Language as identity
- ✓ Intergenerational connection
- ✓ Tradition alongside contemporary expression
Thank you for your continued support
Your school's place in the program and the performance information already submitted will be kept for the new date. You do not need to register again. We will contact participating schools about revised arrangements. Please share the postponement with your students and families.
For changes or questions, email [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has the festival been postponed?
Forecast adverse weather presents safety and operational concerns for this large outdoor event. The safety of children, families, volunteers and the wider community remains our highest priority.
When will the festival take place?
We are planning for early 2027, subject to approvals and confirmation with the venue, schools, performers and suppliers. No replacement date is final. Updates will be published here.
Should we attend on 25 October?
No. The festival will not go ahead on Sunday 25 October 2026. Previously advertised attendance and arrival instructions no longer apply.
Who is organising Global Voices?
The festival is proudly presented by Community Languages Victoria Inc. (CLV) in partnership with Nestoras College Ltd.
Who can I contact?
Please email [email protected] with any questions.
Global Voices: The Community Languages Multicultural Festival is supported by the Victorian Government.
