It’s a chance to learn more about Filipino culture.
The Filipino-Canadian Community (FCC) in Perth-Huron has announced the first-ever Filipino Festival in Stratford.
The free festival takes place at the Falstaff Family Centre Aug. 23, from noon to 7 p.m.
It will include a showcase of traditional and fused Filipino cuisine.
FCC group member Meryl Ochoa says the idea of the festival came as they’ve seen the Filipino-Canadian community grow in several ways.
“It’s not just Filipinos born and raised in the Philippines and have moved here, or Filipinos born here to Filipino families but also families and family friends that have been integrated into our community,” said Ochoa.
“We see each other at events on Thursdays or someone’s wedding anniversary but we really wanted to start bringing out the cultural celebration we have and invite the general public to it.”
Ochoa says they were inspired by community groups who held similar events in Toronto and London, with hopes of hosting their own for Filipinos from the county.
“It’s the first time we’re organizing something that’s free and open to the public and we really want to invite the general Stratford public to, but it takes a lot of coordination to plan, to put out the idea and make the event fun and safe,” said Ochoa.
“We got a lot of ideas from our community members, people who have attended those other festivals and bring what they felt works really well. For the food aspect of it, there isn’t a lot of businesses that cater specifically to Filipino foods and goods in Stratford.”
To tackle this, she says the group is bringing in vendors from Kitchener, Cambridge, London, and potentially Toronto.
Traditional cuisine will include fish, meat, vegetables and rice, street foods like fried/barbecued/grilled meat on a stick, and staple Filipino desserts.
There’s also a folk dance performance and live music featuring a Filipino band and artists that are popular in the Philippines.
