From June 23 to 30, the New Canadians Centre in Peterborough is launching the second Canadian Multicultural Festival in celebration of Canadian Multiculturalism Day on Tuesday, June 27th.
The week-long festival is a celebration of the diverse cultures that make up the country, with each of them bringing unique customs and heritage that contribute to a vibrant community. A non-profit organization, the New Canadians Centre supports more than 1,000 newcomers every year from over 90 countries and speaking more than 60 different languages.
“The cultural landscape in Peterborough is rich and lively,” says Andy Cragg, executive director of the New Canadians Centre. “The festival gives us a wonderful opportunity to bring people together to learn, to share, and to celebrate.”
The Canadian Multicultural Festival kicks off from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 23rd with a Family Zumba Party at Quaker Foods City Square on Charlotte Street near Alymer. Learn from Zumba instructors Victoria, Dianely, Cris, and Ana how to participate in this fitness program involving Latin-inspired dance founded in 2001 by Colombian dancer and choreographer Beto Pérez.
Presented in partnership with the City of Peterborough, this free family-friendly event also offers free face-painting, henna tattoos, giveaways, and more. No registration is required and everyone is welcome to attend. In the case of rain, the party will move indoors to Peterborough Square on George Street at Simcoe.
On Saturday, June 24th from 12 to 7 p.m., head to downtown Peterborough to partake in Flavours of the World Sampling Day, where you can sample international dishes from 10 participating restaurants for free while supplies last.
The restaurants — Bhojan Indian Cuisine and Bar, Brothers Pizza, Curry Mantra, Dirty Burger, La Hacienda, La Mesita, Levantine Grill, Milk and Tea Shop, Naka Japanese, and Poco Burro / Poco Gelato — are taking part in the Multicultural Food Crawl, which is on now for entire the month of June.
Spending $10 or more at any of the participating restaurants earns you a stamp in your Multicultural Passport, which can be picked up at any of the restaurants or at the New Canadians Centre’s office at 221 Romaine Street in downtown Peterborough. Participants who collect six stamps or more will have a chance to win one of three $100 Boro gift cards that can be redeemed at downtown businesses.
From June 26 to 30, the festival is making it easy to try your hand at one of five activities from around the world with the “Try It” series, facilitated by community experts and newcomers eager to share their cultural traditions. All activities are family friendly and free.
On Monday, June 26th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the New Canadians Centre, you can join the Peterborough Cricket Club to learn about game of cricket, which is one of the most popular sports around the world, especially in the Asian countries of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, as well as in England and Australia. After learning the basic rules of the game and how to bat, bowl, and field, you can put your newfound skills to the test with a little game among participants. This event is open to adults and children eight years and older, and all equipment will be provided. There is no fee to attend, but advance registration is required at bit.ly/TryIt-Cricket.
On Wednesday, June 28th from 6 to 8 p.m. at the New Canadians Centre, you can learn how how to make Vietnamese coffee, rice paper rolls, Vietnamese pizza, and pandan waffles — a popular street food in Vietnam made with coconut milk and pandan, a tropical plant that gives the waffles their distinctive spring green colour and sweet floral-nutty flavour. All ingredients will be provided. There is no fee to attend, but advance registration is required at bit.ly/TryIt-VietnameseCooking. Registrations are limited to two per family.
On Thursday, June 29th from 1 to 2 p.m. at the YMCA (123 Aylmer St. S.), you can join Anthony Nguyen for a K-pop dance workshop. Korean popular music has become a global phenomenon with its blend of addictive melodies and slick choreography, and Anthony will walk you through the choreography of a popular K-pop song. A second-generation Vietnamese Canadian, Anthony is passionate about learning and teaching K-pop choreography to promote an active lifestyle and to celebrate culture through dance, often posting his covers on TikTok. There is no fee to attend, but advance registration is required at bit.ly/TryIt-KPopDance.
@appa.astro I wish my dreams came true.
On Friday, June 30th from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., you can try your hand at multicultural crafts at the New Canadians Centre as a small group of volunteers shows you how to make Mexican paper flowers, pinwheels, Ukrainian vinok (wreath), folding origami, and more. There is no fee to attend, but advance registration is required at bit.ly/TryIt-MulticulturalCrafts.
Then, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Quaker Foods City Square Peterborough Square, experience an evening of salsa dancing led by Latin Express. First popularized in New York City in the 1960s, salsa is a mixture of Cuban dances, such as mambo, pachanga, and rumba, as well as American dances such as swing and tap. No registration is required and everyone is welcome to attend. In the case of rain, the event will move indoors to Peterborough Square on George Street at Simcoe. Note: due to poor air quality, the event is moving indoors to Peterborough Square (by the escalators).
From 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27th at the Peterborough Public Library (345 Aylmer St. N.), the New Canadians Centre will be hosting a panel discussion called “Healing and Hope – Reflections on Refugee Experiences in Canada” to mark World Refugee Day on June 20. Moderated by journalist Jim Hendry, the discussion features four panellists exploring the challenges faced by displaced people, how they engage in the healing process, and the role of compassion and care in rebuilding lives.
The panellists are family physician Dr. Madura Sundareswaran (who founded the Peterborough Newcomer Health Clinic), Khadija Warsame (who fled war-torn Somalia with her children in 1994), Trent University sociology professor Momin Rahman, and New Canadians Centre case management worker Samar Sallam.
The event, which will also feature a special performance by poet Samantha Banton, is open to all and will provide a safe and inclusive space for learning, reflection, and connection. There’s no cost to attend, but advance registration is required bit.ly/PanelDiscussion-WorldRefugeeDay.
Finally, the Canadian Multicultural Festival features the online “Cultural Fusions Video Series”, which brings six dancers and musicians from different countries together in Peterborough to create unique pieces that showcase their craft and cultures.
South Korean native Dominique Oh performs classic Italian opera, Venezuelan native Rodney Fuentes performs on the cuatro (a four-stringed instrument similar to the ukulele), Steven Penagos (whose family heritage is Colombian) performs three classical pieces on the piano, Indian native Mintu Maria James performs a Bharatnatyam dance (an ancient classical Indian dance from Tamil Nadu), Luba Berzuk (whose family heritage is Ukrainian and Austrian) performs Ukrainian folk music on violin, and Shaoling Wang sings a Chinese opera with the Toronto Dragon Voice Peking Opera Troupe.
VIDEO: “Alaipayuthe Kanna” Bharatanatyam dance performed by Mintu Maria James
To watch the entire video series, and to learn more about the Canadian Multicultural Festival, visit nccpeterborough.ca/multiculturalismfestival/.
The Canadian Multicultural Festival is a “Celebrate Canada” event supported by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage, the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area, the United Way of Peterborough of District, the City of Peterborough, and kawarthaNOW.com.
On Saturday, July 1st, immediately following the Canadian Multicultural Festival, the New Canadians Centre is hosting “Lessons from the Land” for the third year. In previous years, the New Canadians Centre hosted Multicultural Canada Day on July 1st but, after reflecting on the work of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, has decided to use Canada Day as an opportunity to pause and reflect and build bridges towards Reconciliation.
A family-friendly event taking place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the pavilion at Beavermead Park in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough, “Lessons from the Land” will both celebrate Indigenous culture and knowledge — with music and food, a guided medicine walk, a dance and drum circle, a beading circle, and more — and share stories of Reconciliation. Stay tuned to kawarthaNOW for a story about this important event.
This branded editorial was created in partnership with the New Canadians Centre. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
