Australian city celebrates multiculturalism with record-breaking drum circle

A far from humdrum record has recently been broken in Stirling, Western Australia.

To celebrate Harmony Day, 77 people of different countries came together as the most nationalities in a drum circle, creating a stunning musical spectacle.

Harmony Day began in 1999 and was created to showcase the cultural diversity in Australia. The day also coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The attempt on 15 March was organised by the City of Stirling and held at The Square in Mirrabooka. It was just one of many events and activities organised to celebrate the day across the country.

Participants were encouraged to come in their national dress, and the colourful array of clothing, paired with the cheerful sound of the African drums, made for a lively and fun attempt.

They were led by a professional African percussion group named Akwaaba, who provided over 100 African drums for the attempt.

The attempt area was fenced off to the public, but a crowd of around 150 gathered to watch the attempt and included friends, family, community members, a primary school group and local media.

The primary school class had made their own drums and were playing along and joining in with the music.

The audience also included a few city council members, as well as the mayor of Stirling himself.

"This really showed how diverse Western Australia is! When people come to this country, they bring a lot of positive culture and influence with them!” Mark Irwin, Mayor of Stirling

Participants were preregistered in the weeks prior to the record attempt, and copies of current passports were used to identify which nationality the participants were representing. The nationalities represented were: