AROUND 500,000 Filipinos and Canadians joined the annual street food festival in Toronto, Canada called “Taste of Manila.”
Taste of Manila is one of Canada’s largest street festivals and one of the most attended Filipino festivals outside of the Philippines. Two years after the pandemic, it returned to the streets and celebrated its 10th year last August 19-20 in the area popularly known as Little Manila along corners of Wilson Ave. and Bathurst St.
Around 130 food stalls offered Filipino classic favorites such as lechon, sinigang, adobo, chicharon, pork barbeque, pancit and sisig.
Filipino community groups paraded along the streets, some wore indigenous Igorot and Maguindanaon traditional garb.
GMA Pinoy TV also flew in GMA’s love tandem Rayver Cruz and Julie Anne San Jose, also known as “Juliever,” to spice up the entertainment. They performed a romantic duet of “Pag-Ibig na Kaya.”
Other Filipino-Canadian bands and singers also performed on stage.
Philippine Ambassador to Canada Maria Andrelita S. Austria, Consul General to Toronto Angelica Escalona graced the opening ceremony. Canadian federal and provincial officials like Ontario’s Provincial Parliament Stan Choo (Associate Minister of Transportation), Michael Kerzner (Solicitor General), Robin Martin (Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health), and Toronto City Councilor James Pasternak were also guests of honor.
Other Filipino artists Bea Alonzo, Andrea Torres and Dennis Trillo were not able to make it to the event.
Fil-Canadian non-profit group Society of Philippine Artists, Recreation and Community (SPARC) and the International Entertainment Company (IEC) are the organizers of this event for this year.