Balancing cultural information and entertainment at Riverside Park
Riverside Park hosted the 31st annual Guelph & District Multicultural Festival from June 9 to 11. Performers, food vendors, and kiosks offered information and entertainment to festival-goers.
Dance performances drew a crowd around the stage, which showcased the festival’s flag: One World Living Together.
The dances performed were traditional cultural dances from around the world.
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Some of the countries featured were:
- Scotland — Mary Ellen Highland Dancing
- Hungary — Kossuth Folk Dancers
- The Philippines — Kabayan Dancers
- Romania — ARTA The Romanian Association
- India — The Royal Bhangra Girls
The dancers did a wonderful job, but it was difficult to fully appreciate some of the performances due to equipment at the foot of the stage that blocked the audience’s view. It was especially important to see the footwork of certain dances, such as the Highland Dancers, because the movements are predominantly expressed through the legs.
The cultural fashion show featured contemporary outfits from The Philippines, China, India, Nigeria, and Romania.
The differences in fashion from countries around the world were interesting to see. However, the lack of information about what the clothing was called or when it would be worn was a missed opportunity. Many in the audience seemed to want more information; a couple of onlookers tried to explain outfits from each of their cultures to one another.
[trx_slider engine=”swiper” custom=”yes” count=”3″ offset=”0″ orderby=”date” order=”desc” controls=”yes” pagination=”no” titles=”no” descriptions=”0″ links=”yes” crop=”yes” autoheight=”yes” slides_per_view=”1″ slides_space=”0″ interval=”5000″ top=”inherit” bottom=”inherit” left=”inherit” right=”inherit”] [trx_slider_item src=”https://www.theontarion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_0035.jpg”] [trx_slider_item src=”https://www.theontarion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_0043.jpg”] [trx_slider_item src=”https://www.theontarion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_0042.jpg”] [trx_slider_item src=”https://www.theontarion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_9848.jpg”] [/trx_slider]The large white tent was a welcome retreat from the hot, sunny day. Dozens of food vendors offered a cool place to relax and refuel. Many vendors from last year returned, such as Flor de Izote and Nepalese Cuisine, but there were also a couple of new faces, such as Banh Mi Sandwich.
[trx_slider engine=”swiper” custom=”yes” count=”3″ offset=”0″ orderby=”date” order=”desc” controls=”yes” pagination=”no” titles=”no” descriptions=”0″ links=”yes” crop=”yes” autoheight=”yes” slides_per_view=”1″ slides_space=”0″ interval=”5000″ top=”inherit” bottom=”inherit” left=”inherit” right=”inherit”] [trx_slider_item src=”https://www.theontarion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_9974.jpg”] [trx_slider_item src=”https://www.theontarion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_9955.jpg”] [trx_slider_item src=”https://www.theontarion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_0011.jpg”] [/trx_slider]The festival also hosted many kiosks, where one could shop or get information about a variety of things, such as the Guelph Police, health and wellness, karate, English as a second language, and much more.
[trx_slider engine=”swiper” custom=”yes” count=”3″ offset=”0″ orderby=”date” order=”desc” controls=”yes” pagination=”no” titles=”no” descriptions=”0″ links=”yes” crop=”yes” autoheight=”yes” slides_per_view=”1″ slides_space=”0″ interval=”5000″ top=”inherit” bottom=”inherit” left=”inherit” right=”inherit”] [trx_slider_item src=”https://www.theontarion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_9983.jpg”] [trx_slider_item src=”https://www.theontarion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_9993.jpg”] [trx_slider_item src=”https://www.theontarion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_0004.jpg”] [trx_slider_item src=”https://www.theontarion.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IMG_9949.jpg”] [/trx_slider]Especially interesting was a free exhibition called Together, which was presented by the Aga Khan Foundation. A museum exhibit created inside of a truck, it truly epitomized the idea of bringing knowledge to the people.The exhibit included information about what Canada does around the world in terms of global development.
The various parts of the exhibit focused on:
- Voices of change
- Food security and nutrition
- Various challenges and solutions
- Gender equality
- Health and education
- Global development
The exhibit asked the question, “What does quality of life mean to you?”It also included a section where people could share ideas about how to make the world a better place; the suggestions were written on maple leaves, of course.
In addition to the cultural focus of the festival, the Multicultural Festival offered all the expected features of a carnival from ferris wheels to cotton candy.
Photo by Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion.