'We're overwhelmed': Thousands attend Saskatoon Filipino Music and Food Fest
When Chris Rod and other fellow organizers first met three years ago to discuss what would become The Saskatchewan Filipino Music and Food Street Fest, he never imagined what he saw all weekend at Kiwanis Memorial Park.
Organizers envisioned hundreds of attendees showing up for the three-day festival, not the thousands that danced to music, clapped along to performances and ate meal after meal from some of the many vendors.
“It (was) 200 and 300 people for a day,” Rod said. “We're overwhelmed with how many people have been coming in.”
Last year, the festival lasted two days downtown, and shutdown part of 23rd Street. This year’s festival took over Kiwanis Park with up to 10 times as many people as originally estimated in attendance.
“In the Philippines, we celebrate festivals almost every single day and there's so many islands, so many cities, so many provinces, 7,600 islands. Everybody celebrates a certain festival. So this is more of a culture that we want to impart here that we always celebrate festivals,” Rod said.
On Saturday, nearly every vendor sold out of food because of the foot traffic.
Toni Chin, the president of the Saskatoon Association of Filipino Entrepreneurs, had trouble grasping how much food was being served.
“Maybe a tonne of meat a day,” he said. “For us, we have served a tonne and a half of meat for the three days and we’re still running out. It’s amazing.”
As excited as Chin was with the turnout and the affect it was having on his business Flor's Filipino Specialty Catering Service, he admitted he was equally exhausted.
“This celebration and festival has been absolutely terrific, (but) at the same time gruesome because of the preparation,” Chin said.
Now of course the music and dancing was featured heavily in the festival, but the main star was the food. Between the pork and chicken adobo, stir-fried noodles, spring rolls and heaps of rice, Rod couldn’t list a favourite. But he said no Filipino festival is complete without a pig roast.
“That is the traditional food that everybody enjoys when we have festivals,” Rod said.
“It wouldn’t be the same without the pig roast and without the fire,” Chin said. “It’s what makes it more festive.”
While both Rod and Chin were already scheming on how to make next year’s festival even better, they were overjoyed to see dozens of distinct cultures from the Philippines come together for three days of non-stop fun and entertainment.
“Everybody just comes together, drops all those kind of disagreements and all that but then comes together for the food and music festival,” Rod said.
“That's the one memory that we all will always cherish.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Iran fires at suspected Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
Iran fired air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones, which were suspected to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
In his new book 'As Long as You Need', hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.