Our tips for what to catch at Canberra's multicultural festival

The star of the show may well be the food and the chance to taste many of the cuisines of the world.

But there'll be music and dance, too, on eight stages around the city.

The organisers promise that "more than 170 unique nationalities come together for three days to share culture, music, dance, food and more - a kaleidoscope of colours, sights, sounds and tastes."

The stages for the performances will be at Garema Place, Petrie Place, Civic Square, Ainslie Place, Akuna Street, Bunda Street, and two stages in Glebe Park.

Everybody will have their own favourites, of course, and nobody can see and hear everything. How can they with eight different venues in operation simultaneously?

But here are some ideas.

Friday

The festival starts in the evening at 5pm.

And it starts with a bang or something gentler: 20 minutes of drumming in Civic Square or 10 minutes of Indian classical violin in Ainslie Place.

Switch to Garema Place at 6.30pm for "African Vibes" with musicians and performers "who will showcase African culture".

There'll be Afro-Brazilian percussion and dance, and then, to top off the evening, performances from the Passion and Purpose Academy dance school "specialising in Afro and cultural dance styles".

Over on the on the Akuna Street stage, different Chinese groups will perform music and dance from 5pm through until 9pm,

Following them on the same stage, the tempo will change.

The eight piece Kefi Band "weaves a tapestry of traditional and contemporary Greek melodies". (Akuna Street, 9.15pm to 9.55pm).

They are followed on that stage (10.10pm to 10.55) by The Beez, described as "a yodellin', thigh slappin', lederhosen wettin' dancefest of German flavoured music".

"Be entertained - that's an order!" the blurb trills. (Who says the Germans haven't got a sense of humour?)

Saturday

If you need a jolt on Saturday morning, the Prism Big Band should do the job (10am, Garema Place). We are promised "a range of big band charts for the crowd". Audience participation is encouraged. Dancing is allowed.

The same stage hosts a series of displays of African dance, music (from funk to gospel) and fashion through the afternoon until 11pm.

The African acts are interspersed at the same venue with performances by the Canberra Mandolin Orchestra (10.40am), Fire Dragon Kung Fu (11.30am), Fijian dance (12.15pm), and Punjabi dance (12.45pm). From 3.15, the "Te Aranganui" ensemble performs Maori dance and movement.

A short walk away, on the other side of London Circuit, the stage is set for the "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Showcase" (Civic Square, 10am to 2pm and 7pm to 11pm). Variety is the thing, from blues to choirs, and loads in between.

For gentle music to suit an evening, the VIC Classical Music Group plays Indian classical music on the tabla, harmonium and sitar. They will be joined by Khatak dancers for what they describe as "a meaningful piece about the 'Powers of Meditation'." (6.15 to 6.55pm, Glebe Park Rotunda).

Sunday

If bagpipes are your thing, Garema Place will suit you from 10am to 2pm. The Celtic Tattoo Showcase features the Canberra Celtic Pipe Band.

If bagpipes leave you flat, head to Ainslie Place where the day will unfold from 10am to 4.45 with South American music, including from El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Columbia, Chile and tango from Argentina.

There's a particularly interesting interlude there between 12.50pm and 1.20pm with a performance of the energetic dance of Easter Island which is out in the Pacific but part of Chile.

"The dancers will use their hips, arms and hands to perform to the rhythm of the beat music."

Keeping a Latin theme but crossing back across the Atlantic to Spain, flamenco guitarist Paco Lara performs (Ainslie Place, Sunday, 3.30pm to 4pm). Flamenco resonates with the North African influence on Spanish dance and guitar music. It's sexy and it moves fast.

After the fiery flamenco, you might want to calm your excited pulse by switching to a bit of gospel with the African Catholic Choir from the ACT (Civic Square, Sunday from 3.40pm to 5pm).

The singers originate from across Africa and the choir sings in different languages.

At the end of it all, if you like food, try bibimbap (the Korean street food staple) - it's a mélange of rice, fried egg, marinated meat (usually pork) and vegetables. There'll be a cooking demonstration from 4pm to 4.45pm at the Bunda Street Stage.