Culminating with a celebration of Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27, the New Canadians Centre (NCC) is transporting Nogojiwanong-Peterborough across the world with a series of events that celebrate the city’s rich cultural diversity.
For the fourth year, the non-profit organization that supports newcomers to the region is hosting the Canadian Multicultural Festival, a multi-day series of celebrations to highlight dance, food, stories, and people around the world. Kicking off on Wednesday (June 18), events will run until Friday, June 27.
“It’s really special when you can showcase something that’s so important to you — that being your culture and your identity,” says NCC Manager of Community Development Bhisham Ramoutar.
“It’s important for individuals who are new to Canada to share a little bit more about themselves, their culture, and their traditions, but it’s also very valuable for the wider community to have a chance to very respectfully engage in those cultures and learn something new,” Ramoutar says. “That’s how we build bridges and how we grow as a community.”
Last year alone, NCC supported over 2,100 individuals who were new to Canada and came from over 100 different countries, speaking more than 70 various languages.
Ramoutar, who himself came to Canada from Trinidad and Tobago a dozen years ago, says it’s always special when he meets others who share similar stories and experiences. One of the benefits of the festival is that it offers a welcoming and inclusive space where newcomers can make connections with one another.
“For a lot of our clients, the festival is a very special time for them to represent their own culture,” he says. “There’s a lot going on in the world, but Peterborough is a welcoming community. To feel that the community has invested in you — has invested in you being a member of this community — and has been hearing your stories, it really makes you not just think that you’re welcome, but that you belong in the community as well.”
At the festival, attendees can learn about other cultures by being fully immersed in their traditions, including dining on cultural dishes, listening to stories, and even taking to the dance floor.
“Culture is so vast, and there are so many facets to it — it’s our customs, our music, our food, our storytelling,” says Ramoutar. “Everyone has these different things that are important to them.”
“We want to show that varied picture of multiculturalism in our community and provide an opportunity for the wider community to learn something that they may not have the opportunity to learn in a different space. It’s a chance for people to be immersed in things that are new to them.”
The festival will kick off with a family-friendly Multicultural Dance Party from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18 at Peterborough Square, where knowledgeable instructors will lead dance styles from round the world in 30-minute intervals.
Mintu James, an instructor in Bharatanatyam (an ancient classical Indian dance originating from Tamil Nadu in South India), will lead a Bollyfit session, which combines Bollywood and cardio in a style similar to Zumba. Instructor Shaoling Wang will transport you to China for a traditional folk dance with slower and more intricate movements. To leave attendees feeling rejuvenated, the activity will close with a high-energy, rhythm-packed Nigerian Naija dance class led by various members of the community.
“There are so many dance styles around the world and many different cultures where dance is a really fundamental part of their culture,” Ramoutar points out. “This event is meant to really immerse people into those different styles.”
The first 50 participants to the event will receive a $10 Boro gift cards which can be used at downtown businesses, courtesy of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area.
The following day (Thursday, June 19), a community conversation will take place at 6 p.m. at the Peterborough Public Library in honour of World Refugee Day on June 20. Titled “Home, Disrupted: Stories of Displacement and Belonging”, the event will feature an evening of storytelling, reflection, and connection moderated by Marisa Kaczmarczyk, NCC’s Director of Client Services.
Panellists Carlos Padrino, Sahimar Padrino, Charlotte Nzabondera, and Rashid Sheikh Hassan will share stories of their lived experience, exploring what it means to lose a home and finding safety in a new one. Community members David McNab and Kristy Hiltz will also talk about their experience in sponsoring Hassan and his Syrian family to come to Canada, as well as other Syrian refugees. Advance registration is required at ca.mar.medallia.com/wrdpanel2025.
Next, on Friday, June 20, the Canadian Multicultural Festival will see the first of two “Try It” events, designed to immerse participants into other cultures. From 5 to 7 p.m. at Peterborough Square, “Try It: Salsa Dance” will see participants learn a salsa dance routine with instructor Amarillis Rivero Garcia. When you’re not dancing, you can browse and shop at a marketplace of multicultural crafts made by artisans in NCC’s women’s group. Registration is not required.
The second “Try It” event takes place on Sunday, June 22 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the NCC’s location at 221 Romaine Street. During “Try It: Syrian Cuisine Cooking Class,” participants will discover, learn, and cook up Syrian staples like Muhammara and Baba Ghanouj, as well as a few distinct dishes local to different regions in Syria. The class is limited to 20 participants and advance registration is required at ca.mar.medallia.com/syriancooking.
Bringing the multicultural celebration to NCC’s satellite location in Cobourg, the Canadian Multicultural Festival will also include the free “Around the World in Northumberland” celebration on June 25 at 6 p.m. at Victoria Park (near the Lions Pavilion). Attendees will enjoy cultural performances by the Northumberland Multicultural Dance Troupe — with dances from the Philippines, Spain, Columbia, and beyond — while enjoying snacks and beverages from around the world. Bring a lawn chair or blanket.
The Canadian Multicultural Festival closes out in a big way with NCC’s 46th Anniversary Block Party from 2 to 6 p.m. on Friday, June 27 in front of the organization’s location at 221 Romaine Street in Peterborough.
The family-friendly community event will feature a fun-filled afternoon of musical performances, henna face painting, a bouncy castle, food, and more. The Peterborough Public Library will be on site doing some activities, and there will be a Cultural Fair where attendees can learn about some of Peterborough’s multicultural and faith-based groups and their programming. Bring a lawn chair or blanket.
At each event during the festival, NCC will host a welcome desk where attendees can purchase T-shirts and tote bags with NCC’s Canadian Multicultural Festival logo. You can also pick up a festival passport to be stamped at each event you attend. Once you get three or more stamps, you can submit the passport to be entered in a draw for a Boro gift card you can use at downtown Peterborough businesses.
As Ramoutar notes, the Canadian Multicultural Festival is an opportunity for both newcomers and long-time residents to come together and celebrate the ever-increasing diversity of Peterborough.
“Through the festival, I hope people are able to build an appreciation of the journey that newcomers take when they move to Canada, the diversity of cultures that exist here in our community, and the power that comes when we welcome people and come together as a community,” Ramoutar says.
“If you are a newcomer, I hope you are able to feel and be seen and heard through these events in Peterborough.”
For more information about the Canadian Multicultural Festival, visit nccpeterborough.ca/multiculturalfestival/.
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