Festival of International Understanding
The 2025 Cowra Festival of International Understanding will take place from 21st - 23rd March 2025, with guest nation, India!
For all enquires please email Festival Coordinator Lisa Flanagan on festival@cowra.nsw.gov.au
A unique event celebrating our diversity.
The Festival originated in the mid-1960s at a time when the town was coming to recognise the benefits of promoting understanding between nations. It is a credit to the local community — and recognition of their support for this first event — that the Festival immediately grabbed the public's attention. Cowra Festival of International Understanding (originally the Festival of the Lachlan Valley) is a community-based event focusing on Cowra's unique place as the home of reconciliation. Proudly hosting Australia's World Peace Bell — this honour derived from Cowra's first-hand experience of war with the POW Breakout of Japanese prisoners in 1944.
This annual Festival was first conceived in 1964 as Cowra Shire approached the 150th anniversary of Surveyor George William Evans' exploration of the Lachlan River in May 1815. It was suggested that some form of celebration be held to mark this historic occasion.
A committee was subsequently formed to organise a celebration — "Cowra's Festival of the Lachlan Valley" — after a community competition had been held to name the event. Theme of the first Festival was the historical importance to the town and district of the first European exploration of the Lachlan Valley; and included a full-week of celebrations in April 1965. As a special guest, New Zealand's High Commissioner performed the official opening with more than £5400 ($10,800) raised from the inaugural Festival which was donated towards development of the Wyangala Waters foreshores area.
Following this success; it was decided to hold this unique celebration annually with the idea of featuring a guest nation strongly supported. The theme of "International Understanding" was also embraced at this time and — because of our unique historical links — Japan was invited to be the first Guest Nation. Succeeding years have seen a number of variations and additions to the Festival but the basic format and aim of the event has remained constant.
With Cowra bestowed world recognition as the site of Australia's replica of the World Peace Bell in 1992, the celebration's name was changed to the "Festival of International Understanding"; an alteration that also incorporated the Festival's main theme that all the peoples of the world are one.
A Guest Nation has subsequently featured and been celebrated at each Festival; with the exception of 2002 and 2022 which focused on Cowra's cultural diversity and 2014 which featured the United Nations.
The Festival continues to be a major event in the Cowra Shire calendar and plays a significant role in building a sense of pride and identity in the Cowra Community.
The carnival, which is one of our main events will take place on Saturday the 22nd of March, 2025 (1pm-5pm). We are looking for stallholders to join us as we host our guest nation, India!
We would love you to partake if you have food or goods you wish to sell at the event.
If you would like to be a part of this event, please return the following:
- Your application form
- Fees (payable by cheque, in person, or by invoice on request)
- Your current Public Liability insurance
- Your current food safety certificate, if applicable
Note that forms are due back by February 2nd, 2025.
List of the Guest Nations for the Festival
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1965 New Zealand
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1985 Spain
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2005 Malta
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1966 Japan
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1986 Canada
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2006 Poland
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1967 India
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1987 USSR
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2007 South Africa
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1968 Malaysia
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1988 Australia
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2008 Chile
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1969 Italy
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1989 Peru
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2009 Portugal
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1970 Great Britain
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1990 Austria
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2010 Hungary
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1971 United States of America
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1991 Egypt
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2011 Turkey
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1972 Indonesia
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1992 Ireland
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2012 Finland
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1973 Federal Republic of Germany
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1993 Western Samoa
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2013 Sri Lanka
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1974 Thailand
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1994 New Zealand
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2014 United Nations
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1975 Netherlands
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1995 Zimbabwe
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2015 Republic of Korea
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1976 Mexico
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1996 Papua New Guinea
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2016 Kingdom of Tonga
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1977 Iran
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1997 Belgium
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2017 Belarus
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1978 Fiji
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1998 Israel
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2018 Nepal
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1979 Greece
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1999 Denmark
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2019 Japan
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1980 France
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2000 Argentina
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2020 Cancelled
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1981 China
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2001 Romania
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2021 New Zealand
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1982 Brazil
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2002 Celebrating Cowra's Cultural Diversity
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2022 Celebrating Cowra's Cultural Diversity
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1983 Sweden
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2003 Vietnam
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2023 Indonesia
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1984 The Philippines
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2004 Slovakia
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2024 Italy |
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