Although the 49th annual Timmins Multicultural Festival has been cancelled due to COVID-19, the event co-ordinator Helen Yaschyshyn says she is hopeful the event can continue running next year.
"This event has been in our community for such a long time. It's almost like a kickoff for summer," she said. “You hope for the best but it was definitely disappointing."
“We had a lot of great expectations of what this festival was going to be. But the reality of what’s going on in our community is really what’s more important.”
Organized by the Timmins Multicultural Society, the event was scheduled to take place at McIntyre Community Centre on May 24. The festival celebrates diverse food and cultures attracting thousands of visitors annually.
This year, the organization, comprised of 17 cultural groups, started rebranding and was planning to launch a new logo and introduce new features at the event, Yaschyshyn said. The organizers also invited an out-of-town Caribbean performer.
The festival had to be cancelled in order to comply with the provincial emergency orders requiring to practice physical distance and prohibiting gatherings of more than five people.
Another reason was due to the lack of groceries that event organizers couldn’t get for the festival, Yaschyshyn said.
In the past, the organization struggled to get performers because local multicultural groups have diminished but the response from the community this year has been “wonderful,” Yaschyshyn said.
The event couldn’t be possible without the support from local participants, volunteers, visitors and sponsors, Yaschyshyn said.
“It is truly a community-engaged event,” she said.
“I want to extend my gratitude to the community’s responses for supporting this event … I just hope everybody can come on board next year when we celebrate the 50th anniversary.”
The idea of doing something online has crossed her mind and Yaschyshyn said she will have to discuss it with the participants and the event’s committee.
It’s also unknown how the pandemic will affect how future festivals are held.
“It will make an impact. I don’t think this is something that we’re going to forget and continue on with how things used to run."
Yaschyshyn said the event organizers stay positive and hopeful that participants will be able to come back for the festival’s 50th anniversary when the event is celebrated on a much bigger scale.
