Canada is a very diverse country, so it should come as no surprise that there are thousands of people, who have immigrated there from other countries, living there. Canada has always welcomed people from other countries with open arms and there are currently more than 660,000 Canadians of Filipino descent living in the country.
Filipino People in Toronto
People of Filipino descent can be found living in many of the Canadian regions, however, the Greater Toronto Area has the largest Filipino community out of them all. With such a large number of Filipinos, the area has created multiple newspaper outlets, radio programs, and television programs that cater specifically to this community and share news not only from the Greater Toronto Area, but from the Philippines as well.
The Greater Toronto Area also hosts the Mabuhay Philippines Festival every summer at Nathan Phillips Square. The festival this year is the weekend of August 26th through the 27th and it is a celebration of the contributions from the Filipino-Canadians community to the city. This event is organized by the Philippine Independence Day Council and it is the largest celebration in the country that promotes the heritage and culture of the Philippines.
Everyone who attends the festival will see local and international artists performing live, plus they will see a fashion show and a street parade. Philippine cuisine is available, so everyone can try some of the traditional Filipino foods and some people may even want to try and see if they can win the Balut eating contest that is held during the weekend.
Filipino People in Vancouver
The city of Vancouver has the second largest Filipino community in the country and the city shares their love of the community with the Official Metro Vancouver Philippine Days Festival every year. This two-day festival is held at the Waterfront Park in North Vancouver and is filled with more than one hundred booths of merchandise, services, and delicious foods. Children can play inside the Kids’ Playland while parents relax and enter the numerous giveaways for prizes. Live entertainment is always up on stage, so people can listen to music and watch traditional dances as they are wandering around the park.
Travel to the Philippines and explore an amazing part of the world.
Even though the Filipino-Canadians have strong communities in Canada, many of them still want to learn more about the country where their parents, grandparents, and neighbors were born. Therefore, more and more Filipino-Canadians are taking the time to fly back to the Philippines to visit with family, see traditional attractions, and view the beauty of their home country. There’s also a huge growing demand for people flying away from cold Canadian winters and experiencing a part of the world they know little about. There are a ton of affordable Philippines tour packages available for Canadians. Having neighbours or co-workers of Filipino decent tends to lead to stories of their journeys home. It’s hard not to be inspired by sunsets, palm trees, and beaches.
Filipino-Canadians are ensuring that they are keeping their culture and traditions going, not only by surrounding themselves with other Filipinos in their community, but by visiting their home country and continuing to learn more about where they came from. Many of the lessons they learn while they are in the Philippines are unique and they cannot be learned anywhere else in the world.