Tamworth what's on: Free Fiesta La Peel brings cultural eating to our doorstep

This year, with a little Finnish flavour.

Finland’s Junior Masterchef champion Erika Bjorkskog will bring tastes of her homeland to the streets of Tamworth.

“I feel like Australian food is a lot of food from different cultures, there’s a lot of meat and barbecues where people get together,” she said.

“I’m really excited because I want to share some Finnish culture and learn more about others too, this festival is perfect.”

On exchange with Rotary, Erika will cook traditional Finnish pastries alongside a number of other nationalities.

Tamworth Regional Council events coordinator Carol Hughes said it’s about bringing diverse culture together and widening the taste buds of the community.

“We actually have 86 different nationalities who live in the Tamworth district and more than half of those countries are represented at this event,” she said.

Read also:

“People have no idea that so many diverse cultures live in our city.”

In its fifth year, the smorgasbord has gone from little more than 5000 taste testers to 13,000.

At least 15 countries will offer free samples, most wear cultural dress and there will be plenty of live entertainment on the day.

The event site itself has grown another 60 metres, bringing the cultural street festival up to 260 metres worth of countries side-by-side.

Countries include South Africa, India, Lebanon, Madagascar, Pakistan and more.

Fiesta La Peel is on October 13 from Fitzroy Plaza to Kable Avenue and Bicentennial Park from 4pm to 8:30pm.

Sign up to receive The Leader’s top stories and breaking news straight to your inbox