The Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC), a non-profit organization known for putting together many “firsts” in the community is getting ready for another unprecedented event in the Greater Toronto Area. PIDC was the first to organize a multi- day event to celebrate Philippine culture, the first to partner with Harbourfront Centre, the first to organize a three-day event at Toronto City Hall, the first to include a street parade to its annual celebration, the first to hold a Filipino Festival at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the first to partner with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce, the first to organize a three-day multi divisional basketball tournament and more. PIDC continues to pave the way in ensuring Philippine heritage and culture thrives in the hearts and minds of Filipinos and Canadians.
PIDC’s signature event, the 16th annual Mabuhay Philippines Festival, is set to deliver another extraordinary addition to Toronto’s summer festival line-up with the theme for this year being “Pagdiriwang” or Celebration. The event will be on August 23 and 24 2014. Activities will start at 12:00pm to 10:00 pm on Saturday and 12:00pm to 6:00pm on Sunday.The festival is proudly presented by the Toronto Dominion Bank at our new location, David Pecaut Square (215 King Street West) in the heart of Toronto’s Entertainment District, sandwiched between Roy Thompson Hall and Metro Hall. The square is easily accessible by public transit with plenty of parking. It is also at the pulse of weekend events and is bustling with people. Steps away from Rogers Centre, MTCC, Air Canada Centre and Ripley’s Aquarium, it was also the site of this year’s Luminato Festival.
Expect to see some of the best local Filipino-Canadian talents with segments such as “Return of the Champions” with Jasmine Ragual, Candace Santos, Roy Tugbong and Glen Montero. Join in the fun with students from the JDL School of Performing Arts in their show called “Halo-Halo”. Relive your favorite daytime Philippine soap operas with Chyrell Samson and friends in “Mga Mahal Kong Teleserye”. Former and current PIDC pageant contestants are renowned for being beautiful and talented; catch them perform in a segment called “PIDC Pageant All Stars”. Follow in the hilarious story of one man’s path to discovery that leads him to Filtown. Don’t miss the comic book illustrator group “Spent Pencils” in the veranda of Metro Hall as they highlight Filipino super heroes. Other featured performers include Belinda Copuz, Martina Ortiz, Victoria Marie, Ryan Flores, The Fiesta Filipina Dance Troupe, Folklorico Filipino Canada and more.
The highlight of this year’s Mabuhay Philippines Festival is something people will not want to miss. PIDC is bringing some of the most famous Philippine Festivals to life. Moriones, Sinulog, Maskara, Panagbenga, Dinagyang, Kaamulan and Flores de Mayo are just a few of the celebrations that will be seen at this year’s event. Experience the sights and sounds of authentic Philippine street parades right here in Canada. Transport yourself to different regions like Marinduque, Cebu, Baguio, Bacolod and more to partake in their annual celebrations. To make the parade even more spectacular, costumes for these featured fiestas are being flown in from the Philippines and created by world-renowned designers Renee Salud and Shannon Pamaong. In addition, Randy Guevara will be choreographing the march to make the presentation magnificent. Groups and associations are invited and encouraged to join in the fanfare. If you would like more information on how your group can be a part of this unique event, please contact Parade Chair, Gene Elamparo at jeanpardo28@gmail.com.
The Mabuhay Philippines Festival has something for every member of the family including vendors with various products and 6 of the top Filipino restaurants serving their best dishes. No need to buy tickets because the entire Festival is FREE! Sponsorship and a limited number of vendor opportunities are still available. For more information about becoming a festival vendor, please contact Minda Neri atvox999@gmail. com or call her at 416 621- 4985. Alternatively, you can also contact Evelyn Pagkalinawan atevelyn2013@yahoo.com. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Tom Tan at tomor call him at 416 846-4272.
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