A one day festival celebrating Victoria’s Croatian community will be held at the Immigration Museum on Sunday 27 June, 2010.
Visitors to the Croatian Festival will be able to enjoy Croatian culture and traditions, including food, music and dance performances and family activities while learning more about Croatian migration to Melbourne and Victoria.
Come along to the Immigration Museum to meet the community and take part in activities on the day:
- Brush up on your soccer skills in a mini soccer comp.
- Sample tasty Croatian food, including cevapi, cabbage rolls, seafood, palacinke, cakes and Croatian beer.
- Watch traditional dance and singing performances.
- Take part in a Croatian dance or language workshop.
- Watch a cooking demonstration and Croatian films.
- Colour in some paper pals with the kids.
- See traditional Croatian clothes, textiles, embroidery, weaving and other handmade crafts.
- See photographs, talks and displays to learn more about Croatian history, culture and migration.
In 2001, the census recorded 18,900 Croatia-born people living in Victoria, primarily in Melbourne and Geelong. The first group of Croatian immigrants came to Victoria after the discovery of gold in 1861 and one third of this group eventually settled in Melbourne. By 1890 there were 450 Croatians living in Victoria. During the 1920s, Croatians settled in Mildura and worked in the fruit growing industry. Mildura was soon known as ‘little Medjimurjie’, named after an agricultural region of Croatia where many of the workers had been born.
Substantial numbers of Croatians came to Australia as displaced persons after World War II and during the 1960s and 1970s due to high unemployment, deteriorating economic conditions and anti-Croatian sentiment in Yugoslavia. A number of Croatian refugees came to Victoria during the 1990s, escaping ethnic conflict in Yugoslavia. Victoria’s Croatian community subsequently took part in celebrations when Croatian independence was recognised in 1992, and when Croatia became a member of the United Nations during that same year.
The Croatian Festival is one of three cultural festivals developed annually by the Immigration Museum in collaboration with Victoria’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Croatian Festival
Sunday 27 June, 2010, 11am – 4pm
Immigration Museum, 400 Flinders Street Melbourne
Adults $8, children and concession FREE
Immigration Museum, 400 Flinders Street, Melbourne. Open daily 10.00am – 5.00pm.
For further details phone 13 11 02 or visit museumvictoria.com.au/immigration museum