Chinese festivals in Toronto
Apparently the Chinese Lantern Festival will no longer be taking place in Toronto, but people can still look forward to the Toronto Chinatown Festival. Here’s a little blurb about the festivals from canadianimmigrant.ca :
“Master craftsmen of China’s Zigong region have returned for the last four years to transform Toronto’s Ontario Place into a spectrum of wondrous illumination, creating the largest Chinese lantern festival outside of Asia. Unfortunately, the festival won’t take place this year or in the future, according to its organizers.
However, another festival celebrating Chinese culture is coming to town this summer for the ninth consecutive year. The Toronto Chinatown Festival is being held on Aug. 22 and 23, in the city’s Chinatown, sprawling along Spadina Avenue, several blocks north and south of Dundas Street. Streets will remain closed to traffic during festival hours. Organizers promise festival-goers a memorable experience of the Chinese culture, heritage and cuisine, but also from across the Asian region.
“Filled with cuisine and traditional costumes from the eight provinces of China, visitors can also enjoy multicultural music and dance performances, kung-fu shows, product demonstrations and food sampling, a street market filled with unique Asian merchandise and crafts, and fun-filled interactive games on site,” the hosts boast.
“We are not bringing any performers from overseas, but will be showcasing local talents of Chinese and other Asian heritage,” Loretta Lam, event publicist says. “There will also be about 60 stalls and booths along the festival area selling arts and crafts from the Asian region.” In the past, the festival has attracted about 100,000 visitors over the two-day period, Lam notes, adding that the organizers expect a similar turnout this year as well. “
