Canada Day aims to bring people together
Bringing people together is what the New Canadian Centre (NCC) aims to do – so why not make it the reoccurring theme of the Multicultural Canada Day Festival?
The non-profit organization hosts the festival every year on July 1 at Del Crary Park. Bringing People Together was last year’s theme, and since it’s a reflection of the work the NCC does, it made sense to stick with it.
“At the heart of it, that’s what we try and do,” said Yvonne Lai, NCC community development director. “We try to bring people together to learn about each other, to learn how to support each other.”
Details of the festival and the Canada Day Parade were released Tuesday in Millennium Park.
Canada Day celebrations kick off at 10 a.m. with pre-parade festivities at Confederation Square. There’s the kid’s bike contest, live entertainment, face painting and birthday cake.
At noon, the parade strikes out from city hall, running down George St. to Morrow Park. This year’s theme is Summer in the City. Entries for the parade will be accepted until June 15 and can be made on the city’s website.
Meanwhile, festivities also start at Del Crary at 10 a.m. continuing until 3:30 p.m.
Interactive demonstrations run from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and include traditional line dance, kung fu, tai chi, salsa dancing, jiu jitsu, and zumba.
The multicultural stage lights up from 1 to 3 p.m., with Array Services warming things up when they sign to O Canada. After that, it’s Wshkiigomang Woman’s Native Hand Drum Singers and the River Run Band, Alona Rudenko on the violin, cultural performances from India, and square dancing with D’oh See Doughboyz.
Fleming College international students from Vietnam and Panama will also be sharing their songs, dances and fashion.
And of course, there’ll be tons of food, too, with 16 vendors showcasing dishes from Russia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Greece, Mexico, and the Caribbean, to name a few. Fresh Urban Plate and Divine Cupcakes by Dayle are new additions this year.
A kid’s zone will be set up to keep the little ones busy and henna tattoos and face painting will also be available.
Limited edition t-shirts for this year’s festival were designed by local artist Lucky Jackson. There are 200 up for grabs at $10 apiece. They’re for sale at Black Honey, NCC, Kawartha Local and Hunter Street Books.
The Multicultural Canada Day Festival comes to life with the support of the NCC’s 25 staff members and 130 volunteers.