THUNDER BAY – It’s a celebration of culture, it’s a culinary world tour, and it’s a stage for dancers and performers – there’s no mistaking the annual Folklore Festival.
“We have people coming from Northwestern Ontario, from everywhere,” said Jeanetty Jumah, chair of sponsorship and promotion for the Thunder Bay Folklore Festival.
“People come because they know when they walk in they will see the beauty of India Canada dancing on stage, they will hear the resounding sound of the pipes of drums, they will see the Kaminari Wan Taiko drummers on stage, and of course all of the little Irish dancers. I could go on and on.”
The 44th Annual Folklore Festival will be held on May 6 and 7 at the Fort William Gardens. The always popular event that sees thousands of people attend will include dancing, performances, and of course food from cultures around the world.
“Folklore gives people a flavor,” Jumah said. “It introduces them to the sights and sounds of the world.”
This year there will be 19 international food booths, along with countless imported beers and wines. There will also be vendors selling items and clothing from all the continents of the world.
And while the vendors and food booths are always popular during the festival, the dancers and performers really bring the cultures alive when they take to the stage.
For Ramduan (Puiy) Dusolt of the Thai Healing Centre, the Folklore Festival is all about sharing and celebrating diversity.
“I want to share my culture,” she said. “I was born and raised Thai. I came here and I’m very proud to share my culture with Thunder Bay.”
Puiy has performed at the festival before since she arrived in Canada seven years ago, but this is the first time she will be performing a traditional Thai folk dance with members of the Thai Healing Centre.
Maya Poulin has also danced on the Folklore Festival stage in the past, sharing her Ukrainian heritage. Poulin will be performing again this year as part of the Chaban Ukrainian Dance Group during the opening ceremonies.
“When I’m about to go on stage, I get a little bit nervous, then I get on stage, I barely remember anything, and then I get off stage and I feel like I’m glowing,” Poulin said of performing. “I have so much fun on stage.”
Poulin has been dancing for the last 13 years and she got involved with Ukrainian dance because of her soon-to-be 96-year-old great-grandmother and her passion for her Ukrainian roots. And while she has been dancing for so many years, the Folklore Festival is always something to look forward to every year.
“Folklore festival is one of my favourite places to perform,” she said. “The audience is amazing, the crowd is so accepting of everything you do. And the food. The food is just so good.”
But Poulin added the food is not the only part of the festival that keeps people coming back year after year.
“I think with all the cultures added in, everyone can find their own piece of home there with all the different performances and cultures that are there,” she said.
“We want it to be family friendly and fully accessible as we travel the world in 48 hours and celebrate what Canada is really about,” Jumah added. “Canada is a nation rich in diversity. We have been built by our Aboriginal people, the immigrants, and the refugees who have come here.”
And that is the heart of the Folklore Festival, Jumah said, and she believes more and more people recognize the multicultural heritage of the country and the city.
“I do believe that people value the different cultures in Canada, particularly in Thunder Bay,” she said. “If you look around, you see people of all cultures, all religions, all colours in our community and people get along. Sure there are occasional stories where there are problems. But when you truly look at Thunder Bay, Folklore Festival represents what Canada is all about.”
The 44th Annual Folklore Festival will be held on May 6 and 7 at the Fort William Gardens. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, $1 for children ages four to 12, and children under four-years-old are free.
For more information, visit www.folklorefestival.ca.
