Performers at the Hellenic Festival in Woden were not perturbed by wild weather warnings on the weekend, with colourfully-clad dancers delighting crowds with styles from across the seas.
Sri Lankan sheilas, Bollywood babes and Latino ladies took to the stage to celebrate the countries of their birth and the dances that inspire them.
In absence of the National Multicultural Festival, the two-day celebrations also gave Canberrans the much appreciated chance to sample delicacies from across the globe.
Indian, Thai, Greek and cuisines from different regions of Africa were among those available across both days.
On the other side of the lake, more than 250 types of craft beer and ciders were sampled at the Canberra Craft Beer and Cider Festival on Saturday.
Just to see so many people in once place again is really cool.
Pat Aley
Patrons packed the street outside the Mercure hotel in Ainslie to sip frothies from more than 40 stallholders.
BentSpoke and Capital Brewing represented the ACT while a few interstate favourites including Feral Brewing Company, Hop Nation and Pirate Life Brewing made the trek.
Festival director Dan Gaul told media this week that after COVID-19 had forced the cancellation of the show in 2020, it was great to see them all back.
Victorian-based brewery Moon Dog's Pat Aley said they'd usually attend around 50 beer events across the country each year, but COVID-19 had forced them to rethink their operation.
Mr Aley said the closure of its two breweries in Melbourne with patronage of up to 1000 people a night had definitely hurt but the upside had been an increase in takeaway sales.
"Being here today is a great start and just to see so many people in once place again is really cool," he said.
Live-music kept the thirsty crowd entertained while the sober challenged one another in a wood chopping competition.
Further north, another micro-festival sprang up in Fraser on Saturday, with a celebration of all things spicy.
Fraser Grocer store hosted a chili eating competition, inviting the public to test their tongues against some of the professionals.
Participants tried a range of chili-based products, including chocolate sauce, lollipops and chili relish.
