The annual cultural showcase will be held in the Ashburton Domain near the paddling pool and runs from 10am until 2pm.
Street food style stalls will be set and zoned by geographical area.
There are eight stalls from Latin America this year and a number of sweet options on the menu, including alfajores (sweet biscuits with dulce de leche) from Argentina and torta milhojas (thousand layer cake) from Chile.
A Mexican stall will have tacos and there is Brazilian street food.
There are a similar numbers of stalls selling food from the Pacific Islands, including a Fijian muslim stall offering buttered chicken and lamb stew dishes .
Food from the South and South East Asia regions will include chicken curry and rotis from Nepal and Filipino offerings of roast pig (lechon), meat stew (adobo), banana fritters and coconut pie.
The African continent will be represented with food from South Africa, Mozambique and Nigeria.
Ashburton Multi Cultural Trust chair Thelma Bell said this year’s Bite had a wide assortment of food for the community to sample.
All dishes would cost $2.50, or the equivalent of one ticket.
Mrs Bell said organisers had delayed the decision to go ahead with Bite until October because of covid concerns and had worked hard and called in favours to make sure the popular event did happen.
There had been generous funding support from Ashburton District Council and ACL, but not as much external funding had been applied for compared with previous years.
Mrs Bell said the community was encouraged to come along with their picnic blankets and chairs and enjoy the food, atmosphere and picturesque domain setting.
The day was about celebrating Waitangi Day and cultures from around the world.
She said the entertainment would be a little scaled down this year, but would still feature Ocean Waitokia, Ashburton Silver Band, Ashburton Pipe Band and cultural groups from Borough, Hinds and St Joseph’s schools.
The group Pacific Tribal will play in the domain and will then perform at Waitangi Day celebrations at Hakatere Marae, where the public is encouraged to go after the Multi Cultural Bite from 3pm, and to bring a shared plate of food.
A make-shift stage will be set up at Bite and all covid health and safety protocols will be in place.
-By Mick Jensen
