Festival of International Understanding
A unique event celebrating our diversity
The Cowra Festival of International Understanding will take place from 31 March - 3 April 2022! Rather than focus on an individual country, this year will see the celebration of the proud history of the Festival, all past and future guest nations and by extension, the cultural history and diversity of the Cowra region.Check out the 2022 Cowra Festival Program highlights!(PDF, 920KB)

Check out all the action from the 2021 Festival on the Cowra Festival Facebook page.
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 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.
In 1999, a book about the Festival of International Understanding was produced by former Cowra Council Shire President Cyril Treasure that tells, through programs and newspaper articles, the Festival's history for its first 33-years.
The Festival of International Understanding celebrated the 50th Anniversary in 2014 with the United Nations Information Centre in Australia the special guest in recognition of this world-body's international focus.
List of the Guest Nations for the Festival
1965 New Zealand |
1984 The Philippines |
2003 Vietnam |
1966 Japan |
1985 Spain |
2004 Slovakia |
1967 India |
1986 Canada |
2005 Malta |
1968 Malaysia |
1987 USSR |
2006 Poland |
1969 Italy |
1988 Australia |
2007 South Africa |
1970 Great Britain |
1989 Peru |
2008 Chile |
1971 United States of America |
1990 Austria |
2009 Portugal |
1972 Indonesia |
1991 Egypt |
2010 Hungary |
1973 Federal Republic of Germany |
1992 Ireland |
2011 Turkey |
1974 Thailand |
1993 Western Samoa |
2012 Finland |
1975 Netherlands |
1994 New Zealand |
2013 Sri Lanka |
1976 Mexico |
1995 Zimbabwe |
2014 United Nations |
1977 Iran |
1996 Papua New Guinea |
2015 Republic of Korea |
1978 Fiji |
1997 Belgium |
2016 Kingdom of Tonga |
1979 Greece |
1998 Israel |
2017 Belarus |
1980 France |
1999 Denmark |
2018 Nepal |
1981 China |
2000 Argentina |
2019 Japan |
1982 Brazil |
2001 Romania |
2020 Cancelled |
1983 Sweden |
2002 Celebrating Cowra's Cultural Diversity
|
2021 New Zealand |
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