It was 2018 when Mr. Von Canton (Founder & CEO of MCBN Group and PinoyRadio.Com) and his team started an outdoor festival in the city of Vaughan in York Region, north of Toronto and they named it “Vaughan Fiesta Extravaganza” which was patronized by the Filipino Canadians all across Ontario. The sprawling Dufferin Clark Community Centre in Vaughan where the event was held was filled with revelers and lovers of our cultural richness, enjoying the bounties of authentic Filipino foods and delicacies provided by event vendors, mostly Filipino entrepreneurs in the food industry. Even Canadians flocked to the venue to enjoy the live entertainments during the course of the event.
Back home we called it “Piyesta sa Nayon” and every Filipino grew up with it. The fun of festivals be it in the village, town or cities the fun is never-ending. In fact, festivals back home are akin to much needed homecomings for members of families working far away from their places of birth. When a Filipino goes overseas, the first thing they will find is the Filipino community in their new place. That includes finding festivities to relive what is missing from home. With Canada’s growing Filipino population now reaching nearly a million, a cultural celebration is a must by organizers of events because that is what brings Filipinos together.
The Vaughan Fiesta Extravaganza could have been celebrating its fifth year this 2022 had it not been for the Covid-19 pandemic that halted large gatherings and community events. It happened in a good way though, because then the organizers of the Vaughan Fiesta Extravaganza had ample time to converge, recreate and get back to the drawing table for a much better celebration.
Brilliant people behind the Vaughan Fiesta Extravaganza has come up with a much bigger vision as bringing the festival to four major cities in Ontario, namely; Toronto, Vaughan, Niagara Falls, and Montreal and the need to rebrand it, “CANADA FIESTA EXTRAVAGANZA.” This festival will be huge as soon as the pandemic is over.
Here are the schedules for this year’s event:
VAUGHAN Fiesta Extravaganza
June 25 & 26, 2022
1441 Clark Avenue West
Vaughan, Ontario
Canada
TORONTO Fiesta Extravaganza
July 9 & 10, 2022
Scarborough Town Centre Ground
Progress Road, Scarborough, Ontario
Canada
NIAGARA Fiesta Extravaganza
July 30, 2022
Fireman’s Park
2275 Dorchester Road Niagara Falls, Ontario
Canada
MONTREAL Fiesta Extravaganza
August 27, 2022
Parc Mackenzie-King
4905 Avenue Saint-Kevin, Montreal, Quebec H3W 1P4
CANADA FIESTA EXTRAVAGANZA will definitely be the biggest Filipino festival in all of Ontario with its known popular guests from the Philippines to grace these events. In the past, the likes of Kim Chui, Jay R, Erik Santos, Lani Misalucha and many others plus the local artists and entertainers will surely offer unprecedented enjoyments for everyone.
Li Eron