The Folklore Festival has always been a family event.
This year was no exception as the children’s area was overwhelmed with kids, said event sponsorship and promotion chair Jeanetty Jumah, who also noted what a valuable event the festival can be for children.
“Canada is a nation made up of many different cultures and if we learn to value our differences and learn about other cultures, then we’re not afraid of people,” she said Sunday at the Fort William Gardens.
“We see everyone has something wonderful to bring to Canada and we develop tolerance,” she said. “For children, they’re getting their faces painted; they’re doing Egyptian crafts. They’re doing Aboriginal crafts and they learn to value all the people of this country.”
Attendance for the two-day festival was nearing an all-time high as of Sunday afternoon. Three-hundred more people than last year had come through the doors on Saturday and Jumah said they were hopeful they could break the record by closing time Sunday.
Last year, just less than 12,000 people attended the festival.
One thing people always come to the festival for is the food and it was no exception this weekend.
Jumah said they had a new booth featuring Mexican food offering authentic tacos and other Mexican dishes, which has been a big hit.
“People love it. The Caribbean booth was sold out last night, completely sold out as people took home jerk chicken and all types of things,” she said.
Patrons have also been talking a lot about Saturday’s opening ceremonies, said Jumah.
“We had 13 different groups performing from 14 different nations of the world. It was incredible,” she said. “The Ukraine was there. India was there; Middle Eastern dancers, the Scottish, the Irish. It was just a big hit.”
And with this year’s festivities set to end at 7 p.m. Sunday, organizers are already planning for next year, which will mark the 40th anniversary of the Folklore Festival.
Jumah said they’re already looking at bringing in performers and bands from out of town to give the community one of the biggest Folklore Festivals the city has ever had.
