Welcome to CultureFest 2025!
CultureFest is a grand celebration of the wonderful diversity of cultures we have here in the Matamata-Piako District. The libraries have partnered with the Community Development and Partnerships Team and the Matamata-Piako Multicultural Society to bring you this week-long cultural festival, with the support of Pride of Place and Creative New Zealand.
CultureFest Library Workshops
We kick off the festivities with a week of cultural workshops hosted by Matamata Library from Monday 17 November to Friday 21 November. These workshops will include introductions to foreign languages, cooking classes, dance classes, and much more! You can find the full programme of workshops below.
- Filipino Cooking Demonstration: Learn how to cook a Filipino delicacy with the owner of local Filipino restaurant (Food Trip), Frenzy Vidamo-Ugalde.
- Sushi-making Workshop: If you love sushi, you're going to adore getting to make your very own sushi from scratch. Miyuki Canuel will be teaching you the basics of sushi making and of course, you'll get to enjoy your tasty treat afterwards!
- Introduction to Romanian Class: Learn the basics of Romanian from native speaker, Radu Enache. By the end of the class, you'll be able to introduce yourself and say a handful of useful phrases.
- Introduction to Spanish Class: Get a crash course in Spanish from two native Argentinian-Spanish speakers, Constanza Baigent and Lara Ibarrola, and one of our librarians, Justine Pillay, who has her doctorate in Spanish.
- Flamenco Dance Workshop: Try your hand at this traditional Spanish dance with the lovely Pepa Torre, a Spanish native, and Flamenco Waikato. Bring your dancing shoes and leave your inhibitions at the door.
- Basic Bonsai Workshop: Whether you're a beginner or you have a veritable green thumb, this Basic Bonsai Workshop will walk you through the essentials of bonsai and how to care for your own miniature tree.
Please note that some of these workshops will require registrations so we can ensure we have enough resources for everyone. Sign up forms coming soon!
Register for the Filipino Food Demo here
Register for the Sushi-making Class here
Register for the Bonsai Workshop here
CultureFest Event on Saturday 22 November
Join us on Saturday 22 November from 10.00am-6.00pm at Matamata Primary for a jampacked day of performances, demonstrations, music, food, parades and lots more!
For the full programme of events, see below.
There is no cost to attend CultureFest but we encourage you to bring cash to spend on all the delicious treats that will be on offer!
