SalamFest is a celebration of Muslim tradition, arts and culture with the objective of engaging Melburnians and the Victorian wider community in positive experiences on what Islam represents. We aim to combat rising Islamophobia (SBS 2017) through inclusion of the people of Melbourne into the rich cultures of the 70 countries that Muslims hail from. SalamFest showcases international and local artists, conversation and dialogues, interactive arts and cuisine to break down barriers. We invite the Melbourne community to pray with us at, and break bread together to build bridges, demystify Muslims and drive towards cohesive communities. An SBS study found that 31.6% of respondents claimed to have ‘negative’ feelings towards Muslim Australians. SalamFest is a creative response to change these numbers for the better, using, events, music and food – things that Melburnians identify with the most. Driven by a philosophy of inclusion, our events are predominantly free.