More than 13,000 people have flocked to Earlwood for the 2026 Love Earlwood – Meet you at the Plateia Festival – marking a record attendance for the second annual celebration of local Greek, Italian and Mediterranean communities.
The turnout capped off a hugely successful event, which transformed Clarke Street and surrounding laneways into an open-air marketplace, complete with traditional cuisines and colourful performances honouring the suburb’s generational Mediterranean communities.
City of Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor, Bilal El-Hayek said this year’s record number of festival-goers demonstrated how strongly Earlwood and surrounding Canterbury-Bankstown suburbs had embraced the event.
“To see 13,465 people come together in the heart of Earlwood was incredible—it speaks to the pride, culture and connection that make this community so special, and a showcase of multiculturalism at its best,” Mayor El-Hayek said.
“For what was a fantastic afternoon of celebration, all I can say is opa!”
This year’s festival footprint extended to Lewins Street, with visitors enjoying an additional hour of trading and a significantly larger precinct filled with food, entertainment and cultural showcases, including performances from the Sydney Greek Dancing School, Italian Village Dancers and Flamenco Ensemble.
The festival is funded by the NSW Government’s Open Streets Program, led by Transport for NSW.
For more information about the Open Streets Program, visit transport.nsw.gov.au/openstreets.
