Cultures of the world are being celebrated this weekend.
The 48th Annual Timmins Multicultural Festival is this Sunday, May 26 at the McIntyre Arena.
It kicks off with the Parade of Nations at 12:30 p.m., and the festival floor is open from 1 - 3:30 p.m.
Entrance is by donation and there will be food available to buy from the different groups.
Timmins Multicultural Society president and festival chair Helen Yaschyshyn said the festival is a chance to share the pride she has in her Ukrainian culture.
“It unites us as a community,” she said.
There are a couple of new additions this year, the African and Caribbean cultures, as well as Romania.
She said there is also entertainment from Toronto representing the Chinese community, and a Ukrainian dance group from Sudbury.
“As much as you want to get everybody from the community, it’s really hard because these cultural groups are getting smaller and smaller,” she said.
While connecting with your roots is important, Yaschyshyn also noted that people cross paths with different cultures every day.
“Events like this, I believe that they help bring understanding and they unite us and in turn we’re more respectful of each other and the cultures,” she said.
The approximate schedule for the entertainment is:
• 1:15 p.m. - Dolya Ukrainian dance, Timmins Police Pipe and Drums, SCBC Timmins Tour, Toronto Traditional Chinese Song, and Jaff Baldock and Wally Gubbels Small Town with a Big Heart
• 2 p.m. - New Moon Singers and Thunder Creek Drummers, Tai Chi demonstration, Dolya Ukrainian dance, Mandarine and Cantonese songs
• 3 p.m. - Timmins Symphony Orchestra concert sigers, violin performance representing Romania, and Dolya Ukrainian Dance.
The participating cultures this year are: Continent Africa and Caribbean islands, Austria, China, Croatia, India, Finland, Indigenous, Francophone Ontario, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Netherlands, Peru, Philipines, Romania, Scotland and Ukraine.
- With files from RogersMedia
