A Taste of African Cultures is St Paul’s African House most loved annual community event. The concept for the festival originated in 2015 at a consultation meeting with local Africans who wanted to showcase their cultures to the Shepparton community, break down barriers of fear, mistrust, and racism and inform the community that Africa is not one but 54 countries and Africans are not all the same but come from diverse cultural, linguistic and religious backgrounds. The first festival began in 2016 and has occurred annually every year except 2020 where it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
The festival has continued to grow each year in attendees, participants, and variety. 2021 was the largest event yet, with almost 700 people attending. The festival has been supported by Multicultural Festivals & Events, Multicultural and Social Cohesion division of the Victorian Government from 2018 – 2021.
