Celebrating the city’s diversity, the event will feature food, dancing, live music, demonstrations, language classes and more in The Levee from 4-9.30pm.

After a year hiatus in 2017 due to construction in the mall, the festival returns with plenty of entertainment for all ages.

The Joblink Plus Language Lounge is back this year offering the opportunity to learn how to say ‘hello’ in different languages or speak a few words of Japanese, Russian, Sudanese and other languages.

The Language Lounge will feature interactive games and will feature in a short film which participants can be part of.

The cultural passports program also returns, where attendees can collect passport stamps from all of the different cultural villages they’ve visited.

Festival goers can put their own personal touch on the event by taking part in workshops to create lanterns that will feature in the Riverlights Lantern Flotilla.

Attendees can also get involved in instrument making or contributing to the riverside tyre totems.

The event will be capped off with a performance from Curious Legends, who will bring the Dreamtime story ‘Beginnings’ to life on the river.

Maitland will be treated to two Riverlights festivals in 2018, with the second scheduled for Saturday, October 13.

The event is free to attend. For further information visit www.maitlandriverlights.com.au.