Mayoral Column – Celebrating our vibrant multicultural community

Wednesday, 18 February 2026

As we celebrate Penrith’s strong and growing multicultural community at our Culture Fusion event this weekend, I’m proud to be Mayor of a culturally rich and diverse City.

Our community is prospering with residents from more than 110 countries, who speak more than 80 languages, and we are strengthened by more than 60,000 years of First Nations heritage.

Penrith City Council’s citizenship ceremonies are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate those who choose to call our community home. Already this year, I have had the privilege of welcoming more than 350 new citizens to Penrith. At last month’s back-to-back ceremonies, I met residents originally from the Philippines, India, Malawi and Nigeria.

Cultural diversity adds to the richness and resilience of our City. Council’s ongoing efforts to plan for, connect and celebrate our growing multicultural community is embedded in the Penrith Multicultural Action Plan – shaped through engagement with our culturally and linguistically diverse community.

We support residents by linking them to services, free language and digital literacy classes and the extensive resources in our Penrith City libraries. We also fund community-led programs, lead a Multicultural Working Party, and hold community events like this weekend’s Culture Fusion.

From 4pm to 10pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday, Queen Street in St Marys will come alive for this free festival. In honour of the UNESCO Observance of International Mother Language Day on Saturday, this event is another opportunity to acknowledge the many cultures and language groups that contribute to this vibrant City.

Join us for cooking demonstrations and plenty of tasty cuisine from around the world, as well as cultural performances, fashion shows and hands-on workshops.

With market stalls to explore too, Culture Fusion is a great chance to get out with friends and family as we continue to embrace differences, coming together to strengthen our inclusive and welcoming City.

Visit penrith.city/culturefusion2026 for more information.

Cr Todd Carney
Mayor of Penrith

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Wednesday, 18 February 2026.