Celebrating the world in Selwyn
Selwyn District Council media release: 26th August 2025
A festival of flavours, sounds and sights from the many cultures that make up the Waikirikiri Selwyn community will be celebrated at CultureFest on Sunday 14th September.
The popular annual celebration will be held at the Lincoln Event Centre, with crowds of over 5,000 people expected to gather at the popular free-entry family event to enjoy tastes from over 30 food vendors, and exciting cultural performances from over 20 performing groups hailing from all corners of the globe, as well as market stalls, and a traditional crafts and games lounge.
Presly McRae from the Canterbury Solomon Islands Association says this will be the group’s third year performing at CultureFest. The group of 10 will be performing three dances that represent different cultures across the island nation. The dances will include a shield dance - a particular favourite of his - using traditional hunting weapons and shields.
Performing at CultureFest helps bring the community closer and stay in touch with their ancestral culture, especially for their children who have grown up in New Zealand, Presly says.
“CultureFest is a good way to showcase our culture to others. It’s very important. We’re far away from our home; we don’t really have that many other Solomon Islands people here, so it keeps our children involved in the culture, to know their roots, where their ancestors are from and what these dances are about.”
It is also a fun day to enjoy the other performances and food and interact with other cultures, he says.
The celebrations will continue for two weeks following the main CultureFest event with the return of the community events series featuring screening of cinema from around the world, dance nights, women and girls pool nights, and more.
Get more information on CultureFest.