Celebrating Diversity
SSI Presents: New Beginnings Festival
The New Beginnings festival celebrates the diversity of our community and ignites broader conversations about how we can foster a more inclusive society and promote equality for all - a pillar of SSI's mission.
This family-friendly festival showcases inspiring performances and artworks that delve into themes of home and belonging, as experienced through the lens of Australia's diverse refugee, migrant, multicultural and First Nations communities.
Our world-class artists draw from personal stories and shared experiences to create powerful performances that cross cultural boundaries. Alongside the Museum’s summer exhibitions, the festival encourages reflection on resilience, creativity, and the meaning of belonging in today’s connected world.
About SSI
SSI is a national not-for-profit organisation providing dedicated human and social services to a diverse Australia. With community at the heart of everything we do, our purpose is to create a world in which everyone has access to equal opportunities.
Through community-led arts and culture initiatives like New Beginnings Festival, we empower individuals through self-expression, bring communities together through connection, and help build a stronger society where everyone is valued.
SSI was founded in Sydney in 2000 with the aim of helping newly arrived refugees settle in Australia. Over time, our expertise in working with people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds served as the foundation for a gradual expansion into other social services and geographical areas. We now deliver services across three states, have a dedicated research team informing our work and leading sector insights, and advocate for our community’s issues.
Collaborators
New Beginnings Festival is held at Murray Street, Darling Harbour in collaboration with the Australian National Maritime Museum.
“In 2017 I arrived in Australia after fleeing my hometown in Northern Syria. New Beginnings Festival has provided me valuable opportunities for artistic growth and to perform my music to appreciative and welcoming audiences.”
George Karam, Performer at New Beginnings Festival
New Beginnings Festival Highlights
On 28 January 2023, more than 6,000 people joined us at the New Beginnings Festival at the Australian National Maritime Museum.
You danced well into the night, laughed, connected, reunited, felt welcome, and the smiles all around are a testament to the hard work and care that was put into the festival by so many.
